Torch Light
by Senyor Fier Mensheir
Summary: Like The Little Match Girl, Harry is left out in the cold, and just like her a relative comes and takes her to a better place...sort of. God!Harry. It's meddling time.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works, like the anime Hellsing. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: AU.

"*"

"*"

**Torchlight**

"*"

"*"

_**chapter one**_

"_*"_

"_*"_

The wind was more than a little bit chilly that night, it was below freezing that's what it was. There was no way for him to tell just how cold the night air was, as all he knew was that the north wind was biting him to the bone. He could feel the cold all the way down to his very soul, pulling, tugging, and also attempting to rip it to shreds, he'd have given anything for his nice warm bed in his cupboard under the stairs. Anywhere was better than the snow covered alley that he found himself laying in, exhausted from walking this way and that searching for his relatives. His aunt and uncle had ordered him to purchase a box of matches and come right back or else he'd have nothing warm to eat for the rest of the winter, not that he had ever really had anything warm to eat for that matter.

He could only recall one winter where he was warm, but it was a rather fuzzy memory, his mind wasn't one of his strong points in life, probably because he was constantly told how stupid and pathetic he was, as well as how he would never amount to anything significant in his life. He'd been told that he would probably end up like his parents, drunks the two of them, out each night drowning in booze, and ending up dead by way of car accident after drinking far too much. He had never bothered to ask anyone else, since who else can one trust more than family. But he knew deep down inside that his supposed or so-called family cared not for him.

Which was how he found himself slipping away while being covered in the snow, during his first real white Christmas, as it was his first time actually sleeping in the cold snow covered ground.  
He had the box of matches, but the warm granted by the fire of the match sticks only lasted for so long, each one having gone out seconds after the warmth was felt. No one seemed to notice him in that alley, as if it had been blocked out from the view of passers by. His alley was a void in the vision of the people passing by, even his cries for help had gone unnoticed by the pedestrians.

He was cold and alone, and on his last matchstick, he needed to make it count. He lit it and warmed himself the best he could, but it was useless. Just like the other previous tries with the other matchsticks, he guessed that it was a kind of act of kindness on his relatives' part. They gave him the money for the matches, nothing else.

He only barely recalled the warmth of another human heart, he was now alone, matchless, and slowly slipping off into oblivion in the snow. If any would find him, the chances of his body still retaining some warmth was rather slim, but he hoped against all hope that there would be someone that would come for him, that someone would care.

The sound of snow parting, the sound it makes when someone tramples on it, was heard by the youth that helplessly lay in the snow, his eyes already closed to the world around him, the only senses remaining to him were those of his ears and nose. His skin had lost all feeling, having gone numb from the abject cold, his eyes were shut, it was less taxing to keep them closed. His tongue, well how would he be able to taste anything if his mouth was covered in snow, and his tongue itself numb within his oral cavity. He only had his nose and ears to him.

He heard the footsteps, the sound of an approaching soul, he also smelt something surrounding the person, for it must have been a person. It was also quite unnatural, who in the world would be able to smell like licorice and strawberries in the midst of winter, in the midst of a snow storm in December. The youth had never encountered such a person.

"_...didn't...get...in time,_" an echoing voice spoke near the youth, he heard the speaker crouch down beside him, and felt even colder hands touch his skin.

"...still conscious...weak..." another voice spoke, the youth didn't think there was more than that one man with an echoing voice like whisper, this man smelt of peppermint.

"**...kill them...You didn't...please?**" a third speaker made his presence known, the sound of the voice was inhuman to the youth's ears, he also couldn't help but think of burning pits and anguished cries, the smell of sulfur also attacked his nostrils.

"Take him," the second speaker spoke, and the youth felt the first speaker's hands on him, lifting him up, and covering him in some sort of cloth, "Go."

"**With pleasure,**" he clearly heard the third speaker reply to the statement, and felt warmth pass over him for a brief second, then it was gone, and so was the smell of sulfur.

"*"

He had lost consciousness after the smell of sulfur had vacated his immediate area. When he next woke, he found himself in a comfortable bed, as he opened his eyes he had to shut them once more as they were not used to how bright and how white the room he found himself in was. Yes, it was a room, and not his tiny cupboard, or the alley in which he thought he was to die in, or had he died and was actually in the waiting room of the next life. Wherever he was, he had a feeling that he would be getting all the information he needed, and even yearned for, soon. Oh so very soon.

Once he was finally able to stand all the brightness of the whiteness, he opened his eyes and took a good look around the room, and noticed that on the one side there was a terrace over looking what must have been some sort of hallucination, as he had never encountered something so majestic in his life, there wasn't anything like it even on the boob tube when his relatives accidentally allowed him to watch it.

He got out of the bed and noticed that he was in white sleep clothes, and even had those socks with pads on the bottom so they could be used as slippers of a sort. They too were white, as white as the clothes he wore. Due to the feeling that all the answer he sought would be revealed soon, he decided to forgo staring at himself in wonder at his nice clean, and, as he believed them to be, new clothing, and simply walked over and out onto the terrace and marvel at the view.

The view was more than simply breathtaking, if he could chose to die, he would have gladly chosen right then and there as the view in itself was heavenly. Green on the ground for miles around, and the sky, oh what a perfectly blue and clear sky it was. The sun was shining down on him, but he could not pinpoint where, and at the same time could not seem to find it in himself to really care. It was beautiful. There were even small signs of creatures lurking within the lush and cheerful green forest that lay beneath the balcony of wherever he was, and he spotted something with what looked like wings flying in the distance. Even the breeze was welcoming, as if there was something in it that was hugging and caressing him tenderly.

He felt at peace, and that was how his gracious host found him, leaning against the railing smiling at what he was seeing. Rejoicing at all the life around him, without naught a worry in the world.

"Good morning," a man much older than the youth said, startling the young gazer of grandeur, "I apologize if I startled you."

For indeed the youth was startled, he had nearly fallen over the railing had it not been for that comforting presence in the winds. He even managed to grab at his chest as if suffering a mild heart attack like most would like to act out when surprised by a sudden intrusion in their own private little worlds, or personal space as it is sometimes referred to as.

"I..." the youth began to apologize for being out of bed and admiring the view.

"No need to apologize," the man said, "Its quite normal and natural for one as young as you to be quite inquisitive and attracted to the view from way up here."

The youth knew that when he went out onto the terrace there had been no furniture, no chairs, no table, and no food for that matter, only an open and empty terrace. Which was why his mind stopped for a moment upon seeing the table, chairs, and food there, the man offering a chair to him, while sitting in the other one.

"Come and join me," the man said invitingly, "I'm sure you must be starved, how 'bout you join me for breakfast."

The youth hesitantly moved toward the chair, and sat down as the man encouraged him to. He was a bit wary of the man, having heard tales, more like threats from his uncle, about older men that had a liking to little boys. A horrible thought for one so young to have, yet it was there in the back of his mind, and slowly making its way to the forefront of it.

"Ah!" the man exclaimed in mild alarm, but his expression was that of suddenly remembering something of importance, "Where are my manners," the man said, "I apologize for not introducing myself. I am," he vanished a new looking folder from his lap, "Magus Iunctio, a rather symbolic name I might add. No need to introduce yourself my young friend, I already know who you are, as well as what you are. It was quite unfortunate that we caught up with you in that alley."

"My relatives.." the youth began to explain what he was doing there, but raised hand stopped the words from spilling forth, which for some reason he was grateful for.

"I am sure that you heard my companions and myself speaking before you truly lost consciousness," Magus said, "There was the echoing whisper of the first, and the frightful one of the second. They are my cousins of a sort, there are more of us, you being another one of my beloved cousins. I really must apologize for not being there for you all those years, had it been possible, I would have taken you the moment you lost your parents."

"Cousin?" the youth asked, "We're cousins?"

"Yes," Magus said, "Distantly related, it would be possible to recreate our family tree, but that would be something I would not advise as it would be really long and rather confusing. Just know that we are family, and that I am here for you now. As for your uncle and aunt, they have been dealt with, their treatment of a child such as you is clearly against the law."

"Who were the other two with you that night?" the youth asked, "If you don't mind my asking."

"I don't mind at all," Magus said, "It is better that I introduce them to you, instead of them performing their own introductions, as that might send you over the edge of insanity, having to deal with those two."

"Insanity?" the youth asked a bit frightened of the other identities of his other saviors from the cold.

"The concepts behind their...professions for lack of a better term, might scare you had they come as they were," Magus said, "This is the form that I have chosen to wear, it is quite comfortable being an old man in dark blue and purple clothes, I find it quite refreshing since I normally don't look or act my age. But we're getting off topic, the first voice that I am sure you heard, the voice that belonged to the one whose hands you felt upon your person. His name is...well he has several of them, but in the form which he took while with us that night he was Death."

"So...I'm dead?" the youth said, trying to wrap his mind around what he thought was the answer of the predicament he found himself in.

"Dead? What? No! Poppycock! You are no more dead as I am," Magus said, "No, you are not dead. He may be Death, but at the same time he is also a part of life, its rather confusing some of the time remembering all the responsibilities and powers each one of us cousins holds."

"Ok..." the youth said, forcing himself to believe that he wasn't dead, and reluctantly believing that he wasn't in some form of heaven.

"You are a bit mistaken in your thinking that where we are is not some form of heaven," Magus said, clearly being able to read the youth like an open book.

"So...I'm not dead, but I'm in heaven?" the youth asked perplexed.

"Where we are is a kind of cross roads that some souls encounter when choosing to undergo reincarnation," Magus explained, "This villa we find ourselves in, is more of a clubhouse, as well as a vacation house, where we cousins sometimes go for some needed rest and relaxation. On the other side of the mountain we are on, lays a fortress, but I really don't need to go into who and what lives there. Just know that it is there, and the one that lives there is more or less in charge of this world, this little patch of heaven...and hell..."

"What do you mean by hell?" the youth asked.

"I mentioned earlier reincarnation, didn't I?" Magus said.

"You did," the youth said.

"Good and evil, light and dark, everything has the choice...normally anyway," Magus said, "It is heaven for the beauty, but should you venture out into the forest unprepared, it could really turn out to be hell, what with all the creatures living within the forest, jungle, desert, and whatever else there is out there in this wide world."

"Oh," the youth said, not knowing what else to say.

"Moving on," Magus said, "The other cousin with us that night goes by the title of Devil, one of his titles for that matter. He is the Emperor of the Afterlives, as well as the Master of the In-Between."

"So...not only did I meet Death, but the Devil as well," the youth stated, "Let us not forget that I am now in heaven. So what is your special role in existence."

"I?" Magus said, a bit for dramatic effect, "I am Magic himself, normally I'd say itself but I am not an it."

"Magic can't be.." the youth began but was stopped when he felt an unseen force slam into him shutting him up for but a moment, then receding.

"Do not finish that sentence," Magus said with a deadly undertone, "I will not have such a lie spoken in my presence. You may chose not to believe in me, but that is your choice, but I would rather not have to endure one of my family members utter such nonsense. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," the youth said, a bit frightened at the sudden presence then absence of the unseen power.

"Do you need more proof to the authenticity of my claim?" Magus asked.

"No sir," the youth said.

"No 'sir', call me Magus, we are family after all, cousins even," Magus said.

"No, Magus," the youth said, "I'm sorry for having upset you."

"Its alright, we are all entitled to our own beliefs," Magus said, "Now finish your food, not that it'll get cold or anything of the sort, but I'd rather discuss with you the terms of your stay here once you've filled your belly on something nutritious for once in your life after the untimely demise of your parents, may their souls continue to rest in peace along with mine, and the rest of us cousins'."

The rest of the meal was spent in silence, not a tense one, but a comfortable one, where every now and then Magus conjured a new folder and vanished it straight away, as if simply doing such out of boredom or something like that. Possibly anxiety or anticipation. To each his or her own quirks and all that.

After the meal, Magus led the youth back into the bright and white room, then to the closet, and pulled out some work clothes looking white clothes. Why everything had to be white, the lad did not know or bother to really question.

"Its all white since you are still a clean slate, unlike myself, Death, and Devil, who have already painted or printed or even chiseled much on ourselves," Magus said, "Your story has yet to be told, just as mine has yet to end, yours has only begun."

"Story?" the youth asked, "What story? I'm no writer, I don't write well."

"That's your relatives talking," Magus reprimanded, "You haven't tried to write yet, but the story of which I speak is not one you yourself write or have started to write, but simply put your life itself. Each action, choice, new experience, or event, are the words that fill the pages of the book, the new book, which is where all those folders I was playing with comes in. I was locating yours actually, your new folder, its for the draft pages before the publication, where the pages before and they lived happily ever after are kept."

"Ok," the lad said, "So...a little privacy please?"

"Righto," Magus said before leaving, "I'll meet you in the kitchen, we'll talk more there, just ask orbs of light, or the wind, or anything for that matter for directions on how to get there. There is magic in everything, living or non, remember that."

"Alright, see you later," the lad said, as Magus left him not quite alone in the room.

"*"

As the youth entered the kitchen, having found out how to get there after finding out that the presence in the wind was a wind spirit that had a thing for young boys with the potential of becoming quite handsome, he couldn't help but smile at the homey feeling that the area had to it, as well as the smell of food being prepared. What he wasn't prepared for was who or rather what was preparing the meals. There were of all things cyclopes at the stove, cutting board, juicer, and whatever else tools were used when it came to cooking, most of which the youth was intimately familiar with, having lost some of his fingers to the cutlery, which miraculously grew back, after a good night's rest, as good as a rest as he could get back in those days that is.

"Good, good, you're finally here," Magus said, "And I must say that that jumper is really fetching," he then noticed the lad's apprehensive look, "Kidding, just kidding, can't a kid take a joke?"

"Ehm..." the lad said intelligently.

"Down to business, while these one-eyes prepare lunch, and no there's no mutton or men in any of those pots," Magus said reassuringly, the lad didn't really get the joke, "We each, us cousins, have a particular story, a flow, a pattern of events, uniquely our own, as well as a certain set of abilities that go along with our chosen...profession, there I go again using that word...its only work when one doesn't enjoy it."

"What exactly is expected of me?" the lad asked.

"You are expected to live out your life the way you chose to live it," Magus said, "But at the same time, make an adventure out of it, I know for a fact that you long for some form of excitement."

"Who wouldn't?" the lad responded.

"Indeed," Magus said, "Though I can think of five men that aren't too fond of going on personal adventures, just short romps."

"Really?" the youth said disbelievingly.

"Really," Magus said, "We've gotten slightly off topic now. Back on track then...I am unable to tell you how your life may potentially go from here on out. But I can tell you that you now have two choices, either you learn your lessons the slow and hard way, or you go through the short cut. Each choice has their own benefits, and each have their own downsides. You have until after lunch to decide. I really am sorry about the short notice of it all, but...well...I wasn't really given much of a choice in the matter myself...just strange coincidences happening one after another, random strangers popping out of the wood work, and in a case or more those strangers trying their hand at making me almost lose my life."

"Were you scared?" the youth asked.

"Terrified," Magus said, "But I secretly loved every minute of it. The only part I don't like is the part that says I can't physically be in my home world, the world where time moves ever so slowly, and the same world where I can see my family, but they cannot see me due to circumstances beyond my control. But at least I do get to have those scarce few days or moments that we are able to be together."

"Oh, sorry," the lad said sympathetically.

"Its alright," Magus said, "I still get to see them, and on those rare occasions, spend some time with them."

Lunch finally arrived, and they spent it in the kitchens, eating the feast laid out before them along with the chefs for the season, or so the lad had been told by the one eyed men. It was just as delicious as breakfast, but he couldn't help but feel as if something was changing within him, something was happening to him for the better. He knew that his timely escape in the arms of Death, was already one good thing, but he felt something within himself changing with every breath he took, and every bite he ate.

The years of his relatives not treating him as they should have were raveling and were reshaping themselves within his mind and body. His soul, luckily was still intact and needed no form of treatment in the form of food, Magus was sure that Devil would not want to part with any of his precious soul pearls. Years of malnutrition were rewinding and reweaving themselves in the proper way, in the more healthier and right way. The lad was regrowing everything that was not right within him. Piece by piece everything was being made right. The only things that could not be healed, repaired, or made better, was his personality, his character, his attitude, his personal self, as those were aspects of his being that only he himself could fix, and it would take some time too, no matter which choice he chose.

"Your choice?" Magus said, once the table had been cleared of all the mess from the meal.

"What did you put in my food?" the youth asked.

"Vitamins and minerals," Magus said, "Lots and lots of them, to make up for what was denied you through the years."

"Ah, I figured as much, or something along those lines," the youth said.

"Your choice?" Magus repeated.

"I chose the long and arduous journey which lays ahead of many a man," the youth stated, "Thanks for boosting my brain though."

"Your welcome, though that wasn't my doing entirely," Magus admitted, "I was merely a part of the enhancing process that your mind went through."

"So how do I proceed from here?" the youth asked.

"You are eight years old, and your mind was already advanced well beyond your years when we had found you," Magus said, "You had simply not bee consciously using all of its faculties. For the next two to three years, I shall be cramming into your head everything that you would have studied in grade school and high school, and if you so chose college as well."

"What happens in two to three years?" the youth asked.

"You shall attend a boarding school, a really old one," Magus said, "There you shall learn some of my art, some of my secrets, as well as travel a path most traveled. You may also opt to supplement your magical education with the college level studies, but only do with discretion, we wouldn't want those that were supposed to have kept an eye on you, know your secrets now would we."

"I don't think I can trust these so called watchers of my well being, after having been treated the way I have these past few years," the youth said.

"Very well," Magus said, "The room you found yourself in, is now officially your room, for the time being the name plate shall remain blank, until such a time as you find your own true name, as I have...even though I have several names which I go by."

"Alright," the youth said, "When do my lesson start?"

"Tomorrow," Magus said.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works, like the anime Hellsing. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: AU.

"*"

"*"

**Torchlight**

"*"

"*"

_**chapter two**_

"_*"_

"_*"_

The end of the month of July had finally arrived in the year 1991, the youth had just turned eleven at the stroke of midnight, right smack dab when the clock's smallest and fastest hand passed the twelve. The youth had grown in mind and body, as well as bit in spirit. He would have been an honors student had gone to regular school. His only manner of social interaction had been his interactions with the villa's staff, as well as his primary and only tutor and teacher Magus. It was a one on one thing, though he did get to sit with some of his other cousins, such as Death and Devil as he had already met them, though they didn't really spend that much time with him, saying that he was Magus' student and they didn't want to steal much of the precious time they shared.

The youth knew that those words were merely excuses to hide the fact that the others had things of importance that needed their undivided, as much as possible, attentions, like ruling a world, waging a war, and trying and failing to get drunk on sake.

He found it quite unusual to find an owl of all things winging its way to his bedroom in the middle of the day, looking as if it only had a few grains of sand left in its hourglass of life, a term or phrase which he had picked up from his cousins, it was popularized by Death who always had an hourglass handy for explanations purposes, or to simply scare the youth into paying attention to his studies and not have his mind wander aimlessly onto unimportant topics.

The owl dropped its package, a letter clasped between its talons, before simply stopping in mid air and plummeting however long down into the forest below. Or it would have, had it not been for the youth's ever present wind spirit companion scooping the poor thing up, and laying it on a nearby cushion, and placing a tray of treats and water for it.

The envelope had writing to it, the words which told to whom it was addressed to were written in green ink, unmistakable green ink. The same kind used in some of the letters he had been shown in the two to three years he had stayed at the villa, the letters had been shown to him by Devil and Har, they were invitations to a school for gifted young people. It was a prestigious school which both Death and Magus were able to boast actually helping found either directly or indirectly. It was the invitation of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"I see you've gotten your letter," Magus said, "Are you going to outright accept or are we going to see if any of the other schools want to have you?"

"Will finding out matter?" the youth asked.

"Well, not in the long run, I don't think so," Magus replied, "What do you think?"

"I'll wait for the others, if there are any that is," the youth said.

"There had better be," Magus said, "Else whoever it is that has meddled with your mail, shall be in for quite a disappointing afterlife, or so Death and Devil claim."

"Anything bad done to me by anyone of importance shall feel their wrath, or so they have said," the youth said, "You even agreed once with them."

"I know," Magus said, "And I shall strip these creatures of myself, my gifts, and my talents, from them, when and if they make themselves known."

"Damn the limitations you set for yourselves, and the limitations set by _those five_," the youth said.

"Yes damn them indeed," Magus said, "But had it not been for those limitations, rules, and whatever else, we would not have met one another, and there would be the possibility of there being nothing, save for _that child _and his _wolf_."

"True," the youth stated his agreement.

They had waited a few days before deciding that the youth's mail was being tampered with, Magus actually exploded with frustration, short circuiting all of the owls' magical sensors, the ones that helped them with delivering mail that is, and forced them all to send their mail to the lad all at once. The villa was swamped with owls, and letters, from fan mail, to hate mail, invitations, and everything else expected to be delivered in the mail. It was a good thing that Har had come to visit, as he had slowed time down to a crawl to allow the youth to look through all of his mail, and even prepare replied to all of them. All of which included an explanation as to why he had not replied before that day. The letters to the bank were interesting ones, they were sure to become his best friends, as well as a great help when it came to serving justice in the future.

Any legal actions, queries, and the like, were accompanied by Magus' very own unique seal, one which no mortal could say no to. When the youth requested that any and all action regarding his case was stalled or pushed to a later date, all those involved could do nothing but perform as requested. So was the power of Magic's seal.

"I'm going to skin that man alive," Magus stated with a dead undertone, "If you stop me, I shall strip you of your memories of it."

"I wasn't going to argue," the youth said defensively, "So...who was it?"

"I'm not telling you," Magus said, "I'm apparently not even supposed to know..."

"If you say so," the youth said, "So long as your silent doesn't help his, her, or their case."

"Like it would really matter," Magus said, "Death and Devil wouldn't care what a court would rule, they'd flay them alive, while I stripped them of everything that they were proud of."

"Yeah...ok..." the youth said, "I've already sent my reply of acceptance to that school, along with all the other letters...where do I go for supplies?"

"Why, to Diagon Alley of course!" Magus said, "We'll go once we're done with dessert."

"*"

He didn't know why, but he was certain that Magus had done it to make him feel very uncomfortable, very uncomfortable indeed. Magus had told him to go into the bank and make a simply withdrawal, while he attended to some other business. What Magic had failed to mention was how the bankers would treat him.

The youth never thought that he would get fed up with being treated like royalty, but there he was close to cutting one of their heads off, just by the way they were treating him. It was frustrating. He didn't want to be treated in such a way, and when he shared his thoughts on the matter, they simply treated him as even greater than they started out. It was probably some weird tradition thing that had to do with their culture and their religion. He really couldn't find it in him to care all that much, eventually.

The gathering of the gold had taken him an hour longer than was normal, and he found himself finally at the foot of the steps of the bank where Magus was waiting for him. His first priority upon meeting back with the man was to kick him where it really hurts before bounding off in the direction of the apothecary. Magus didn't really mind since such pains were easily eased, though not experiencing such pain in quite a while did make the pain go away a little bit longer than normal.

The same routine continued from shop to shop, Magus meeting with a finished youth, and followed by his getting kicked in the 'nads by an even stronger kick than the last. His cousins were definitely loving not being in his shoes that day. It was pain beyond measure than only Devil could appreciate, but at the same time not want to have to endure. It was only when they had finally reached the wand shop that the pain finally ended being painful. But boring and very much frustrating for the both of them.

"Very tricky, you are," Olivander said, "I haven't had such a tricky customer in years...I've actually run out of wands for you to try...sad to say...sad to say indeed."

"Just give him the best fit," Magus exasperatedly said, "Holly and phoenix feather, the one from Fawkes mind you."

"And how would you know what's the perfect fit for him?" Olivander asked quite irritably.

"Just hand him the wand again," Magus said, then turned to the youth, "I'll take care of the rest."

"Just to get it over with," the youth said, and waved the wand as it was handed over to him, and it was his, until his true wand made itself known to him.

"It'll have to do for now, until you can claim what is rightfully yours," Magus told his young charge.

"How did you do that?" the wand maker asked, as he too had seen the positive response of the already tested wand.

"I'm sure you already have an inkling of the truth," Magus said, as he dropped some coins into the man's hands, before he and the youth left the shop for home.

#

Magus accompanied the youth to the platform from which he was to take his first step on his journey of discovery as well as training for whatever future his actions and decisions take him. The platform was full of families ranging from first timers to those that would be there for the last time, of course there were those that were there due to the sheer number of children that they had, magical children at that.

"Now, have you stumbled upon that name of yours?" Magus asked his young cousin.

"I have," the youth replied.

"And what, pray, is it?" Magus asked, calling up a barrier for secrecy.

"Thanos," the youth stated, "Meaning immortal."

"Then you have chosen the general direction of your path?" Magus asked.

"Something like that," the youth replied, "The path is still shrouded in shadows, awaiting for those will-o-the-wisps of yours to guide the way."

"Tch," Magus commented, "They are mine, and not yours, find your own path through the shadows, forge your own destiny. I shall be waiting for you when the year ends."

"I shall make sure I show up, one way or another," Thanos said.

"Names have power, remember that," Magus said.

"I will," Thanos said.

#

It was finally the end of the year, and he didn't really know what had happened. He remembered boarding the train twice, and relieving almost the exact same set of events twice. Almost the exact same set of events, since, he had decided that looking over, or reexamining the relationships, the bridges he had built in his first run, they were not all he had hoped they would be, or were for that matter.

His first friend outside of the family was more of an attention seeking braggart than their potions professor constantly labeled him as being. The other member of the trio that had formed the first time around, was only around him due to a sense of debt, not for anything other than to rid herself of her shame in her inability to make actual friends, protect herself, as well as some form of begging or picking up the scraps of fame that Thanos left them to get, not that he had noticed the first time around.

It was because of the two of these distractions, as he had decided to call them, that he had recalled dying in the first place, as well as finding himself in boarding that red locomotive a second time, and finally understanding why Magus had said such parting words to him. His name did indeed have power. It was probably not yet at full power since he still did die, though not fully since he did repeat a year after all, somewhat like groundhog day.

He had let his curiosity get the best of him the first time around, which was most likely the real reason why he had gotten killed in the first place. He felt especially stupid to find out that his prize was a fake stone in the end, he only found out the second time around, since he went after the stone just after realizing that the dream was not a dream.

He went through his second run through treating it as a social experiment, seeing what relationships he could form, and see how they played out the rest of the year, and since he survived, he would know if they lasted through the summer, until the end of his second year.

It was during second year, or rather his second experience of second year that he noticed that there was surely going to be a trend in his life. He was going to go through each school year twice, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. It was a good thing since he would get the most information or data from almost each year. The bad part was that he would have more years of official school than should be possible. But alas, he was one of _them_. He shared _that_ name. While his name, his true name, was Thanos, he still had that other name, the one they all shared.

The gist of each year was repeated surely in each passing turn. Each quest was an overused experience. It was the repeats of Fourth Year that he could really do without, but he did admit that it was quite the experience. The resurrection of the Dark Lord was something else. The first time around, when his blood was actually used for the potion ritual, he had died as soon as the thing was reborn. The second time around, he knew enough to bring someone else's blood along, but he also ended up dying when he used a girl's blood. He actually repeated fourth year a total of eight times. But of course those eight fourth years, also included more years of third, second, and first. He wanted to commit suicide right before doing the correct things to solve the puzzle of the year.

During the end of his fifth year, he found out that he had a prophecy, one which would not have been put into effect had someone not decided that it was an authentic one and not a made up one. Unlike his cousins, the prophecy could not be negated, and Magus didn't want to simply do it even though he could with nary a thought.

"You could have at least warned me about that blasted great prophecy about me saving the world," Thanos ranted during the summer of his, he really no longer counted, final repeat fifth year, he had committed suicide several times in order for him to go over everything that had happened that year. Who knew that there were so many ways one could see ones life pass by, as well as the world around themselves.

"Why would I have? Why should I have?" Magus asked, "It was not my place to inform you of such things Thanos, it was a mystery for you to find out on your own, just as I shall not aid you in whatever lies ahead, save for your studies, and I guess, some of your powers."

"I have a feeling that I'll be spending seventh year thirteen times," Thanos said, "That's a lot of first through sixth years."

"Its your own fault for choosing or stumbling upon your name," Magus said.

"But at least this way, I have come to realize that I cannot afford to really have any personal connection to the people I surround myself with," Thanos stated.

"At least," Magus said, "It seems I was right in requesting to become your guide."

"Why is that...oh...nevermind, you don't really hang around your own world all that much," Thanos remembered, "Is that what's going to happen to me? I will be leaving my world?"

"I'm not sure," Magus said, "Its your story."

"You mean my life," Thanos said.

"Same diff," Magus said, "So what do you have planned for this up and coming year?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Thanos said, "Same as every other year, I guess, by the ear for the first time around, then try something else during the repeat, and the next and the next, until I'm either satisfied, or until I get things right."

"Whatever," Magus said, "How is your thesis going?"

"Don't you remember that I'm well beyond that already," Thanos said, "I already told you that I'm going for my posts already."

"Prometheus will be very happy should he ever get to meet you," Magus said.

"I suppose," Thanos said, "I can't believe how many times the lights go out in this place. I'd have thought that you'd be tired of reading and walking around under the light of a candle."

"It gives off an relaxing and old atmosphere doesn't it," Magus said, "I like the feel the candle glow brings."

The rest of summer was filled with studying, and mastering of talents, skills, and abilities that had been appearing as the years went by, as numerous as they were. Keeping track of the number of years that had already passed by was confusing, since he kept repeating so many of them. It was the longest teenage years that anyone had gone through so far.

He spent his sixth year mastering the art of potions, with a little bit of help from chemistry, and of course Severus Snape as a student, the man had a book that he made it his property by titling himself as the Halfblood Prince. Professor Slughorn absolutely loved him by the end of the final repeat, as he had shown his masterful mastery and prodigal prowess in the art of potion making, potioneering, and whatever else that particular subject was labeled as.

During seventh year was when all the fun occurred, he really did repeat the year, or rather the whole seven years at Hogwarts thirteen times. It was during his thirteenth and final repeat that he finally made his decision, he had distanced himself from the magical world of his home world, and so really did not have any ties to the place. His only relations, close personal relations had been with his cousins, and they were all from different realities as it were, and not of his own home world.

His final repeat actually had a surprise for him. He had actually died, and found himself, of all places, on Platform 9 ¾, the train station platform where the Hogwarts Express was held. He was quite familiar with one the many realms of the In-Between, he had stumbled upon an entrance to them in the villa, it was the one that Devil used to get to the villa located on Eastworld. He was in a kind of limbo, and he knew that.

Looking around he noticed a dark figure hiding underneath a bench in the train station, he knew what it was, he had always known that he would one day face such a thing, it was a small fraction of a soul that had been torn asunder, that had been violated beyond all things imaginable. It was an abomination, one which he couldn't help but feel a little pity for.

Before he could move closer and touch the thing, the fraction of the soul, he was stopped by another presence. Albus Dumbledore, died a senile old man, one who ignored his failing prestige and continued, even in death, that he was the greatest light wizard of all time. He tried his hand at persuading Thanos in continuing the completion of The Plan, but he failed when Thanos said..

"Come out, come out, dear cousins," the youth pronounced, and from out of the coaches of the trains waiting at the station they came. Pouring out from one train was a sea of black and gray cloaked and robed figures, they were the soldiers of Death, followed by their leader himself, wielding his scythe clear as day. From the other train poured out demons from the abyss, and the many other hells, followed by their Lord and Master, Devil.

"_Ignorant soul...your own horcuxes shall not save you from eternal damnation,_" Death spoke, his whispering voice echoing all over the platform, sending shivers up and down the Albus Dumbledore's soul's spine, "_You have been found wanting, by a whole lot. I shall enjoy resurrecting and killing you over and over again, and so will all of my little minions. Though I do apologize that they're not yellow._"

"**I shall enjoy sending you through all of the circles of main hell,**" Devil announced to the disoriented soul, "**And so, you do no think that you do not deserve eternal torment, upon reaching Palacio de Azkaban, we shall be filling your mind with everything you had chosen during your life to put aside, forget, and ignore, including the fact that you killed your family. I will enjoy torturing you for the rest of eternity.**"

"Now see here," Albus said, vainly trying to defend himself, "Its not me you want, its that piece of slime cringing underneath that metaphysical bench over there," he pointed in the general direction of the fractured soul, "Its that filth you want! Not me! I am Albus Dumbledore! Lord and Leader of the Light! So long as the light does not fade, neither shall I!"

"You saw the prophecy as a means to heighten your power, to raise you higher than the clouds," Thanos spoke, "That prophecy would have proven to be false, had you not put stock in it. Had you not listened and deemed it to be true, this war we are in, the battle of Hogwarts would not be occurring, and I would still have had my parents."

"What I did, I did for the greater good! Sacrifices are needed in any great struggle, I chose to sacrifice the happiness and well being of the one, instead of the lives of the many," Albus stated, "Who are you to judge me for my actions? Are you god? No! I think not! For I AM GOD!"

"A bold statement Albus Dumbledore," Magus said, suddenly appearing before the soul, "You are no god, you don't even believe that one exists, how can you yourself claim to be one. You haven't even really created anything by yourself, you are like a bigger and badder version of Gilderoy Lockhart. But instead of simply hiding behind smiles and lies, you hide behind everything at your disposal. I am happy to say that you no longer have your magic, reincarnation is impossible for you."

"And who are you to dare say such things to me?" Albus said, vines, ropes, and chains, were slowly creeping up his body as he spoke, they went unnoticed as he was preoccupied with the three other worldly beings before him.

"Names have power Albus Dumbledore, names have power, but in this case that power is not granted to you, but to the owner of such names," Magus spoke with authority, "It is by my existence that the rules of magic exists, for I am Magic. And to me, you Albus Dumbledore do not exist."

The dead headmaster felt something suddenly go missing from within his being, something had vanished from him, as if it had never been there, that comforting energy which allowed him, even in death to appear wherever he wished, and shape events to come in the future. He was no longer truly whole, he was now fractured, something had been taken from him, something irreplaceable.

"_You are now without magic, just as you are without the possibility of reincarnation. I am Death, and even to me you are Dead. Your name grants you no power, for it is merely a regular name, and not a true name, one with power,_" Death said, "_With your true death, all that you had worked for in the mortal realm, shall now come to light, and the Albus Dumbledore that had power and prestige, shall be torn asunder like the pawns that you had discarded in life, those lives that were meant to be great that you had carelessly manipulated into becoming toys for your entertainment. Even your family shall view you as dead, or worse, nonexistent._"

"**I am Devil**_**," **_Devil said, "**That is all you need to know. It is clear as day who and what I am, and if you are unable to comprehend what my power is, then you will still surely find out for the eternity of promised torture. You shall never see your family, those supposed loved ones of yours again. For we know that they were mere pawns for you. When Death is done with you, you shall suffer, but not rot in hell, for only those that we have given up on lay broken and are allowed to rot. Enjoy the after life, for soon, even the Heavens shall be mine.**_**"**_

"You cannot claim me, I still have a role to play!" Albus said, wriggling as if trying to escape the inevitable that bound him, "I still have the responsibility of speaking to the boy about fulfilling his destiny, walking down the path that fate had laid out before him. I still have to explain what he must do, give him instructions on how to proceed. There is still so much left for me to complete."

"There is nothing for you to complete," Thanos finally spoke once more, "I have lived many years of Hogwarts years, time and time again you stayed in the shadows, moving your pieces from within the darkness, leaving those that would look up to you for aid in the dark. You abandoned the world, and your responsibility to it a long time ago, you have no right to claim these responsibilities now. I will hear no more of your words of supposed wisdom. May you suffer in eternal torment, and when the darkness has finally swallowed you up, may no man provide you with a flame to light your way."

"No...No...NO...NOOO!" Albus shouted as the manifestation of his soul was shredded into countless parts, and handed over to the many subordinates of the two, Death and Devil, to do with as they pleased for as long as they pleased. Albus Dumbledore was no more. Instead of walking the path of righteousness, he had chosen to walk down the path of hopelessness, the poorer choice in all things, he had gone out of his way to make sure that he would be the final beacon of hope in the world. Stunting the potentials of all those that passed through the halls of the institution of learning that he had become the master of. He was the real reason that the magical world was in decline. Everything started out with Albus Dumbledore.

But that was not to say that the entirety of the blame should be placed on the shoulders of one man, for the others, those fence sitters, and ignorants in society, were also to blame. Those unthinking cads that let others think and make decisions for them. It was a time for change, and so Thanos decided that instead of letting the self styled Dark Lord Voldemort to triumph, he would rid the world of both the hero and the villain, leaving the final battle unfinished by the leaders, the beacons of hope for each front. May the worms and sheep think for themselves for once, and fix their world, for the better, or destroy it for the worse.

"So, you will be returning to that the land of the temporarily living now?" Magus asked.

"Just for a short while," Thanos said, "I am tired of wearing the face of a teen, it is perhaps time to move on to adulthood. I shall merely retrieve the remaining fraction of a soul from that plane of existence, and bring it here for reprocessing."

"Very well," Magus said, "Shall you be needing anything for your trip?"

"Rechargeable batteries, and my pack," Thanos said, "The one I've been stuffing things into for the last how many repeats and regular years."

"Anything else?" Magus asked, "Surely there are things that you might be needing in the form of literature."

"Fine," Thanos said, "I was hoping not to reveal where I'm planning on truly starting the rest of my new life."

"Well?" Magus said, "I'm waiting."

"I need copies of Edith Hamilton's Mythology, and The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology compiled by Cotterell and Storm," Thanos said, "Would that be within your powers?"

"Anything else?" Magus said, "Perhaps and copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?"

"That too, if you think it would help," Thanos said, "And a dictionary, the self updating kind, I don't really know how to make one yet, haven't figured everything out yet."

"I can get you those things, and a bit more," Magus said, "I'll leave your pack and the rechargeable batteries here in the station, Defteros will be waiting here for the remaining fractions."

"Got it, Death Reaper number two will be waiting for the package," Thanos said before leaving the limbo platform 9 ¾ in a flash of light which went out like a flashlight being turned off.

When he awoke from his death induced slumber, instead of opening his eyes, or panicking for that matter since most normal people would have reacted after such an experience. He took stock of his surroundings, it seemed like Har had played a role in his death, stopping time itself. His foe, the fractioned soul had only just lowered its wand. He stilled himself at the approach of someone, one whose magical aura or signature was vaguely familiar. He felt smooth fingers touch his neck and wrist as if searching for a pulse, so he slowed down the beating of his heart, as well as the movement of his lungs. He was dead to the world, surviving in a false state of death.

"He is dead, my Lord," the woman announced, and was greeted with the cheering of her side of the conflict.

"At last! Victory is within my grasp! Onward to the castle! I shall proclaim victory from my new seat of power!" Lord Voldemort said, for indeed that was its name, it was no longer Tom Marvolo Riddle, as the fracturing of the soul had rid the fractured soul of any semblance of the original soul. He walked at the ehad of his forces as they marched towards Hogwarts, the last bastion of hope for the side of the light.

When they had finally left him, he stood up and aged himself physically, making him actually look a helluva lot more like his father, Severus Snape would not be pleased. But retaining of course his emerald green gaze, along with the raging inferno which could be ignited within him. He picked up the stone, along with his cloak, and ran for the castle, as he had a Dark Lord to rid the world of before he rode his train to his new world.

He was immortal, but by no means was he a god, yes he had the potential to be one, but only if he left his home world, it was much like Magus. Magus was able to do anything he pleased in any world, in any reality, in any existence, save for his very own home world, his core reality. But even though Thanos was no god in this reality, in this world, he still had some tricks up his sleeves.

As he passed by the downed forms, those of the dead and injured, he let lose a torrent of his powers, powers which he shared with his cousins, weaker than the masters of them, but still stronger than any mortal's. He healed the living, and brought back the souls of the dead to those whose bodies still remained whole. If the world was to start anew, it would be best if all the insignificant players were present for it. The important pieces, the kings of both sides of the chessboard were to eliminated, he for the white, and Voldemort for the black. Peace, true peace, would be a foreign concept from the magical community, as the war that had been started, or restarted, that end of the school year in 1994 would last for eternity. There would be balance, and Nemesis would be happy at the presence of it. The ever moving conflict, neither side ever really having the upper hand, and both sides cursing their leaders for abandoning them during their hour of need. Some being unable to reconcile with themselves the fact that they did not need those two leaders, those two personifications of hope for either side. All they needed was themselves, yet they would chose to not acknowledge that fact.

"...ter is Dead! There is no more savior or Chosen One! I have won! Now bow before.." Lord Voldemort proclaimed but was forced to stop speaking as the doors of the Great Hall banged against the walls loudly, and under the arch of the portal stood Thanos with a hand outstretched as if he had pushed open the door with that one hand.

"That wand is mine, come. Return to your rightful Master," Thanos stated in a loud and clear voice, the wand in Voldemort's hand vibrated for a few scant seconds before flying out of his grasp and into the waiting hand of the former youth.

"_What in the world?..._You were dead! I killed you!" Voldemort shouted as he pulled out a spare wand and hurled a killing curse at his immortal foe.

Instead of immediately replying, Thanos dashed forward at speeds that a regular human being would not have been able to travel. He seemed to instantly vanish from one place, and reappear in another, that place being right beside Voldemort, a hand on the fractured soul's wand, and the other raised with an orb in its grasp.

"_Since you killed my parents, I have this to say,_" Thanos whispered, "_I have gained what you have sought, immortality, for that is my name._"

"What!" Voldemort shouted in confusion just as Thanos hurled the orb to the floor, and they vanished to the platform where Defteros was waiting for them, leaving the Magical World on their own, without really having proof as to what really happened that night, at the supposed unclear end of the battle.

One of the nice side effects of the end of that battle was Thanos' final present to the people of the world. Everywhere the people looked, at every and everything, there were two marks. A lightning bolt, and a skull with a serpent coming out of its mouth. There was now no way of differentiating sides, without getting to know each side personally, and not simply looking for some sort of symbol or sign designating a person's affiliations.

"Take the pieces, and make them whole," Thanos said, tossing the Death Reaper the remaining pieces of Tom Riddle's fractured and fractioned soul, "Salvage what may be salvaged, and maybe some day, he may be reborn anew, and live in a more peaceful world."

~You pity the man?~ Defteros asked, ~Even while knowing what he has done...why?~

"I do not pity the man, I feel for him, for the great loss that he has suffered at the hands of an uncaring one," Thanos said, "It was not he that had committed all of those unspeakable crimes, it was the monster, that beast that became known as Lord Voldemort."

~Very well, I shall take the soul now, to be mended, punished, and sent forth to the Hall of Judgment~ Defteros said ~Call on me should you need a helping hand, for even immortals need help sometimes~

"Speaking from experience?" Thanos asked.

~My Lord and Master is married, need I say more?~ Defteros said as he boarded the train with his shackled companion.

"Guess not," Thanos said as he waved goodbye to his past, picked up his belongings, and boarded the next train to leave the station. As he got on, and the train pulled away from the station, he popped the two rechargeable batteries into a flashlight that he had made for himself. It actually, in a way, resembled the matchsticks that had kept him alive until his cousins arrived, that one cold winter night.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works, like the anime Hellsing. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: AU.

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**Torchlight**

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_**chapter three**_

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"How much longer until my stop?" Thanos asked the conductor of the train.

"This isn't the Knight Bus, you know," the conductor replied, "I'm not Stan or Ern, I don't know."

"How can you sound so irritable?" Thanos asked.

"You've been asking me and asking me that same questions over and over," the conductor said, "You sound like a kid, you know that."

"Its probably due to my unfortunate past of not really having much of a childhood," Thanos stated.

"Oh, sorry," the conductor said, "I didn't realize you were one of those."

"One of those?" Thanos asked, he seemed to be on a roll with all his questionings.

"Lots of you new lifers have had a shitty past, as far as I know anyway," the conductor said, "I know for a fact that Death and Devil had it rough, their childhoods I mean, they've ridden the train a few times in the past, of course I was always the willing ear to listen to their woes, or simple stories."

"What are you, some kind of counselor?" Thanos once again asked a question.

"Nah, I'm just some dude without a face or a past to really speak of, that loves to listen to the stories of those that are living out their own," the conductor explained, "Stories that are important enough to warrant Master Crossworld compiling their stories in new folders. I don't deserve one, you see, as I'm merely part of the supporting cast. I'm a necessity, one that helps move along the story, which is probably what I'm doing here with you now."

"Possibly," Thanos said, "Tell me, what do you know about stories of creation, specifically creation myths."

"I may not be an Echo or a bartender, but I've heard my share," the conductor said, taking a seat beside Thanos, "Specifically what or whose creation myth do you need information on?"

"I was thinking the Greeks, and perhaps the Norse," Thanos replied, cheerfully.

"You seem to know enough about them already," the conductor noted, "I saw the books you were reading, interesting reads, I've read 'em myself. Why do you need more?"

"I simply need information on my destination, its in its early stages after all," Thanos explained, "I wouldn't want to start my new life in an already progressed or advanced world. I need my freedom."

"I know what you mean," the conductor said, "Unlike most other religious creation stories or myths, the Greeks, and by extension, association, or affiliation, the Romans, the gods did not create the universe and the world, it was the universe that did the creating. But as I've heard from some of the passengers, your destination has stagnated in a sense. There has been no advancement, no evolution from the universe stage. I don't really know much else about that, other than that its really cold over there, and very dark."

"Thanks for the information," Thanos said, "So it is technically nearly a clean slate, one cold as marble to the touch, and lacking any source of hope."

"Something like that, unless you are looking a bit too deep into it," the conductor said.

They then heard the sound that the train makes as it nears the next station or stop. It did share one thing with the Knight Bus though, and that was that the stops were really quite dangerous when one wasn't wearing a seat belt, not even _those five_ were immune to that little tidbit.

"You really need to install more seat belts," Thanos said as he got off the train, "You own the line, so you really should be able to do something about it."

"Don't wanna, my friend, there's no fun in having a safe train for you immortals and transdimensional travelers to ride to get to places faster than a plane, spaceship, or a car," the Conductor said, "Just call if you need a ride, once you've set up this new reality of yours, I'll be able to provide a lift for you around it. Good Luck, and you bless."

"Sure thing, Conductor, sure thing," Thanos said, as he watched the train roll on by, waving at the Conductor.

As he turned around from the station, he found himself staring at a door, he knew what lay beyond it was his true destination. The starting point of his new life, all he needed to do was pop out his flashlight, turn it on, step forward, and not look back. It was time for his new life to begin, and the only way he could possibly go now, was forward, lest he forever remain at the train station. A Master of Death, he may be, but what would he do in a train station for all of eternity.

So he prepped himself, and walked on through the door. It was a relatively normal looking door, made out of wood of all things, with a regular door knob and metal hinges, of course the hinges did have a bit of rust on them from not being used, after its installation, whenever that was.

As he walked through the darkness the light of his flashlight the only light that could be produced, he accidentally, truly unintentionally, stumbled upon a body. How did he know that what he had found was a body. Simply by increasing the light produced by his torch.

The body was that of a woman's and around her looked to be snow. But how could there be snow in such a place, in such a reality, one where such things had yet to exist, to be born, created. He also saw something similar to a previous situation he had personally found himself in, a box, a familiar looking box. Upon seeing it, he was jolted back into the land of consciousness, and willed himself into motion. He took her up in his arms, she who had pale skin, crimson red lips which were rather strange on her freezing or near frozen form. Her dress was colored void, it sucked in the light that emanated from the light that shined from the object which Thanos now held in his mouth, his hand being occupied and all that.

But once he had her in his arms, ignoring her apparent beauty, he couldn't help but realize that he didn't know where to take her. He had no real way back to the villa, and even if he did, he didn't think that Magus and the rest would welcome one that was not formally in the family, or a cousin at the least. She needed some place to get warm, while she may still be alive, there was no telling how much longer her immortality had left in her to keep her living.

He really wanted to smack himself upside the head once it dawned on him that he was now officially in God-Mode. This was his reality, to do with as he pleased, he was like Har, Death, and in a sense Devil. He summoned up a little cottage, one that had a single bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. He entered it, and headed straight for the bedroom, and did the first thing, his slightly hormonally powered mind, thought to do. He laid her down on the bed, stripped her of her void like clothing, and stripped himself as well, then he joined her under the covers of the bed. The best way to warm someone up was with body contact, skin to skin contact, body heat. He really wasn't thinking all that straight at the time since his mind had been a little bit addled from the memory of his own experience of being found in the snow, and he also never really did get an explanation of what they, his cousins, did to get or make him better.

The next time he found himself in the unblissful state of wakefulness, he found himself laying alone in bed, with a slightly panicky woman covered only in a blanket staring at him. She looked kind of cute in the way she was standing covered by the blanket or bedsheets, while emanating an aura of fear. It was normal and natural for her to feel fear, especially after waking up in unfamiliar surroundings, and in bed, if she knew what it was, beside some man she had never in her existence ever met.

"Poios eísai esý? Ti ékanes gia ména?" she said in a her frightened and panicked voice.

'_So...she speaks Greek of all things, and this is the literal one and not the figurative one_' he thought in his mind, '_Might as well do that blue or purple lightning thing that dissolves the language barrier_.'

"I am Αθάνατος , or Thanos for short," he introduced himself as he got out of bed and had clothes appear on his body, as well as on hers, "I meant you no harm, you are here since I found you out in the snow."

"I...I was in the snow?" she asked, "What is snow? Where are we?"

"It matters not," Thanos said, "You were dying, I was sure of it, but you are alright now. Do you know what I am talking about?"

"I...a little," she admitted, then sank to her knees, "I felt...so lonely...I was all alone...How did you come to be?"

"That should not matter," he said, as he got down on his own knees, and pulled her into his arms, giving her a warm embrace, which at first she was a little stiff as she had never really gotten to experience something like it before, but she eventually relaxed into his arms, "All that should matter is that you are no longer alone, and I shall be the light in your darkness, the order to your chaos."

"I...thank you..." she said, "I am...Μοναξιά..err...Monaxia."

"You know, to err is human," he said, with a bit of humor in his voice.

"What is human?" she asked.

"Well...maybe I should leave the explanation for that for another time," he said, then rose to his feet taking her along with him, "Are you hungry?"

"I...yes," she said, "This hunger...it is a new feeling."

"I guessed as much," he said, and led her to the kitchen, she may not have been all knowing, but knowledge was freely flowing into her head via Thanos' being there with her. It was a rather slow process, but she was growing, evolving more like, from simply a primal force, into a Being, a person for lack of a better term.

"I...what do I do Thanos?" she asked him as they entered the small kitchen, it had a table in it and two chairs.

"Just sit in one of the chairs while I prepare...breakfast," he said as he conjured an apron for himself, along with everything needed to prepare breakfast, then he started working. He loved to cook as it was a little bit relaxing and allowed him to express himself in taste.

Monaxia simply watched him as he worked, she really didn't understand what he was doing, and how he had made things simply appear. But she had a feeling of her that told her that she would eventually learn what he knew, not all, but some of it. She knew that she was a lesser Being as compared to him, and it wasn't because she was female either. His power soared well beyond her own, his aura was magnificent to look at, and she marveled at its brilliance as well as his warmth.

"You are warm.." she said faintly, not really intending to voice her thoughts.

"I hadn't noticed," he said, while concentrating on what he was doing, while he would have been able to perform multiple tasks at the same time, he chose not to as it allowed him to be a bit closer to normal.

"I didn't...I didn't mean to say that out loud," she said, a little bit ashamed of herself, thinking that she had possibly offended him.

"It's alright," he said to her, as he laid out the food on the table, as well as had the dishes and utensils float their way to the table, "Enjoy the meal."

#

Time passed for them, she gained more knowledge as time wore on, while he got to know the growing and evolving personality that she had, as well as nurtured the growing feelings they had for one another. While they may not really have had much of a choice in the matter, he didn't really mind.

Since they were the only two in that limitless oblivion, they one day, however they counted the days, became one. She bore him two children, who as it were eventually also became one, and so the cycle continued. With their original union, from them formed the true universe of that reality along with the world.

There was space, or the void, then Oceanus, then the world separated into the Gaea, Uranus, and Tartarus. That was all there was to the existence in Thanos' reality. He was the Supreme Being of the existence, the stars, outer space, they were all concepts of his limitless imagination, the perceptions of those living in his reality forged what else there were.

While he had always wanted a family of his own, a big one much like the Weasleys of his old world, he really wasn't or rather he really should have expected how messed up his rather large and several generations of immortals worth of family he got. Monaxia didn't really mind all of the chaos, as it was expected to happen, what with the limited number of beings in existence to begin with. He didn't mind after a while. But he did begin to distance himself from his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, great great grandchildren, and so on and so forth, their personal lives and own stories got to a point that he couldn't stand all the drama and bloodshed, so he turned himself into a recluse, and took Monaxia with him. They stayed in their cottage beyond the beyond, isolated from their creations, but they each secretly did watch as time passed by, and how the world progressed.

"There they go again..." Thanos complained as he witnessed some of his great grandchildren find lovers on the land of the mortals again.

"Have you been keeping an eye on our great great grandchildren again?" she asked him, as she prepared their meals for the day, while she may have learned how to cook, she still preferred her husband's cooking to her own.

"I know for a fact that you have been keeping tabs on our descendants as well," he said, looking up from the globe that they had in the living room.

"I thought as much," she said, "I look in on them from time to time, but not as often as you seem to do."

"What a messed up family we seem to have made," he said as he moved over to his chair by the kitchen table and waited for the food, "Why can't anything in my life be normal..."

"Why indeed," she said, "But if everything were, you would not have met me."

"True," he agreed, then decided to voice one of his plentiful thoughts, "How would you like to have another child with me again?"

"What? Could you please repeat that, I don't think I heard you right over the noise of the blender," she said, she never thought in a million years would he ever ask that of her ever again, not after Eros. She then felt his arms wrap around her waist as he suddenly appeared behind her.

"I'm sure you heard me, I miss the sound of a child in our house," he said to her as he nuzzled her neck, "I'm not saying that I've grown bored of you, but I miss the children running around, the noise they made. The joy they brought us, before they left home to start their own lives."

"I...I know...but..." she said, trying to multitask, her concentration on the preparation of the food wavering with every breath he took, and every move his hands made.

"We could move to the world, if you want," he said, "A little bit of normalcy, we might have a chance at having a kid actually turn out...well...normal for once...or the closest to it."

"I...may..." she said, but noticing her resolve on not having any more than the five that they had had, she took a chance, "I'll think about it."

"Alright," he said, but he continued to do what he was doing to get her in the mood.

"But not right now," she said as she conjured up a frying pan and slammed it on his head, "I'm busy cooking, now go play watch over our family or read a book or something."

"Yes dear," he said, but before leaving the kitchen he added something, "I like this new feisty side of you," he then instinctively ran out of the room as she hurled kitchen knives and forks in his direction, '_Must be that time of the month...or century...or something...I'll think I'll go over that Encyclopedia of mine..._'

It took her three decades to think about his proposition, and in the end she had decided that maybe it was time for them to have another child. Upon informing him of her decision, he packed up all of their stuff, and made for Earth. Dumping false memories where needed, as well as masking their presence from those that would claim to be the rulers, the gods. He really didn't want to have to deal with his great great grandchildren, any of them, especially the pompous ass that was the youngest child of Kronos. Uranus and Kronos were both asses, and Thanos really didn't want to have to deal with them.

They planted themselves in the outskirts of New York City, and made it so that they were known as Dentists of all professions that they could have chosen. Within a few weeks of their moving to Earth, Monaxia became pregnant, she and Thanos both knew that the child was to be a boy. When he was born they named him Aeneas, after the true founder of Rome.

He was a bright boy, quite active in sports, but also had an intellectual side. His parents adored him, but knew from past experience not to pressure him or stifle him with their presences. They did neglect to tell him about his true nature, as well as theirs, but they did tell him that he had older siblings, ones that seemed to have a dislike for visiting their parents.

"Why do I have to go to this new school?" Aeneas, or Aen as he liked to be called, asked his parents, "What's wrong with where I'm going now?"

"Nothing, really," Monaxia, Mona for short, answered her son, "Its just that your father seems to think that it would be a good idea for you to transfer...not that I agree wholeheartedly with his decision.." she muttered that last part.

"I'm eleven for crying out loud, Mom, can't you change his mind or something?" Aen asked, "I don't really want to have to try and make friends at a new place all over again...not that I have that many friends since you're both dentists."

"Then this time around, don't say that we're dentists," his mom said to him, "Choose a profession, and I'll convince your father that we'll switch to that."

"When are you going to tell me how you can simply do that?" he asked her.

"When the time is right, you'll know when that times comes," she told him, "Now run along, I still need to prepare dinner."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works, like the anime Hellsing. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: AU.

"*"

"*"

**Torchlight**

"*"

"*"

_**chapter four**_

"_*"_

"_*"_

"I told you not to follow me," Thanos scolded his son, but what could he do, he simply couldn't reveal just how powerful he was especially at a time like this, "The next time I tell you to stay at home, you had better stay at home!"

"But!" Aen said.

"No 'buts'," Thanos said, "You had better hope that you're not hurt when we get back home, I don't want to have to deal with your mother."

"I'll try not to get hurt," Aen said, "Though, what are we doing anyway?"

The father and son duo were speeding running as fast as their legs could carry them, without catching anyone's attention, anyone that lived on Mount Olympus that is. Thanos had seen something he had not been expecting, three half-bloods were making their way to Camp Half-Blood, and accompanying them was a satyr, and they were in danger of being torn to pieces.

"We're rescuing some distant relatives," Thanos said, "One of them is about your age too."

"You had better not be talking about the satyr," Aen said, then asked, "Do I get an explanation about this event when we get home?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure," Thanos said, thinking that he might as well since his son had tagged along anyway, "Don't worry your mother won't mind me telling you about that...well some of it anyway."

"Thanks dad," Aen said, "So how much farther?"

Instead of answering Thanos grabbed hold of his son's hand, and apparated them to within several meters of the people they were to rescue. They were practically behind the monsters that had been pursuing the children.

"I hope that answers your question," Thanos said as he pulled out his trusty flashlight, which, didn't really matter when it came to looks but rather was useful due to its ability to fire balls of fire or plasma like a gun, "Here," he then handed his son a box of matches, "They may look like matches, but those things you can use as knives or needles."

"A box of matches, and a flashlight? Why do you carry those things around?" Aen asked perplexed as to why his father did that, as well as the fact that the monsters weren't minding them.

"I'll tell you someday, or you can ask your mother how I met her," Thanos said, "But now's not the time for that."

"So now that we're armed, how do we go about this?" the child asked the father.

"We slice through until we get to their fighter," Thanos said as he shrouded himself and his son in a mist of his own, "We are invisible to the monsters eyes, even more now than usual, so follow my lead."

Thanos didn't wait for any confirmation from his son, and simply ran up to the mob of monsters firing his flashlight gun, turning monsters to dust every now and then. Behind him Aen followed, slicing off limbs, and turning some of the unsuspecting monsters to dust with his matchsticks. They were like the winds, blasting their way through the mob of monsters.

"Shit!" Thanos cursed, and one of the monsters actually turned into a pile of shit before turning to dust, "Aen, move faster, I'll hold 'em back, make sure that the teen does not die!"

"Aye aye, father!" Aen acknowledged, and sped up, drawing as many matches as he could hold between his fingers.

While he was able to reach the girl while she still lived, he wasn't fast enough to arrive before the closest monster dealt a mortal blow to her midsection. He did manage to catch her, instead of allowing her to fall to the ground, which might have caused instant death.

"H-Hey...w-who're you?" the girl asked him, "M-My f-friends...are they?"

"They're fine," Aen said, since he didn't see any others but the monsters around, his fingers continued to spear monsters as he held the girl.

"The m-monsters?" she gasped.

"I won't let them near you," Aen assured her, as he continued to down them, any of the ones that dared approach them, "Everything's going to be alright, you'll be alright. My dad's coming to help."

"Aen! How is she?" Thanos called out from within the mob of monsters that was rapidly growing fewer in number.

"Dad! Get over here! She needs some help!" Aen shouted his reply, adding a bit of urgency in his voice.

"Coming!" Thanos shouted as he blasted the monsters away from the area with a bomb he had been experimenting with, then he ran toward his son.

"W-who?" she asked weakly.

"Its alright little missy," Thanos said, "We've got you, you'll be alright in no time...just rest for now."

"Y-you sure?" she asked.

"Yes," Thanos said, as Aen slowly lowered her body to the ground, "Save your strength, just close your eyes, everything will be alright."

When she complied, she took in one last breath, before expelling the breath of life.

"Dad?" Aen asked, a little bit detached from the situation, "Is she alright?"

"She will be," Thanos told him, "She'll be in a form of hibernation, her father will see to it, but it would be in our best interests to not be here when he does," he said, then pulled his son along as they left the crest of the hill, where some campers from beyond the property line were about to arrive.

"I sensed the breath of life leave her," Aen said, "How are you so sure that she'll be alright?"

"I just am," Thanos insisted, "Now really isn't the time for explanations, I'll tell you as much as I can when we get home, as we really should be leaving now, before the eyes of Olympus gaze down on us."

"*"

It took them a few hours to get back home...in time for breakfast, it is safe to say that Mona wasn't very happy to find out that her boys had been out all night, and hadn't even bothered to inform her at the very least telepathically, that they wouldn't be home until breakfast. It was times like those that Thanos was exceedingly glad that he was immortal. His son was glad that his dad was the one that was yelled at and treated like a rag doll.

Some of the secrets that had been kept from him were revealed, but not everything, not even a majority of his parents, or his fathers, secrets were told to him. Just what he needed to know at the time, with some bonuses to make him know that they, his parents, trusted him. Of course he knew how to keep a secret, he had a few of his own, like how much he wanted to go on an adventure. He had mentioned going on one once, but his father had simply looked at him funny, and told him that they weren't really all that fun.

But of course at that time his mother was in the vicinity, and let slip that they had met on something akin to an adventure. From that day on Aen wanted to go on an adventure to meet some girl that would be like his mom was to his dad. It was a kind of romantic and childish thought, since he really didn't know all the details.

During the revelation of some secrets, he finally got the story about how his parents met one another, as well as the significance of his father's love for flashlights, and the significance of the matchbox and matchsticks. It was also then that his father pulled out a photo album from out of thin air, one containing pictures of him with a number of people that eerily resembled how he looked, complete with wild and messy black hair, green eyes, and that unmistakeable scar on their foreheads, well in some of the cases the scar started on the forehead. There were also a few pictures of his grandparents in the thing.

He learned more about his family and the world from going on that rescue mission, as compared to all the times he had tried to pester his parents, who had seemingly limitless patience, about the information he sought. It was a little bit unnerving, but at the same time relieving to know that the level of trust his parents had in him had grown. Though the warning about sounding crazy to normal people if he ever shared some of the things he had learned was unnecessary.

Although he'd never really known how much his father had envied most normal people. His mother had laughed when he asked her why that was. She simply said that nothing normal ever happened in his father's life.

"So what happens now?" Aen asked his parents that same day.

"We live our lives as if nothing out of the ordinary for most people has happened," Thanos said, "Don't worry, you'll meet that girl again, in about five to seven years."

"Girl? What girl? Thanos, are you hiding something from me?" Mona asked.

"But I already explained the rescue mission," Thanos whined, a bit uncharacteristic of him.

"Fine then, I believe you," Mona said, then rounded on her son, "Aeneas Harold Potter, have you forgotten to mention something to me?"

"Err..." he looked to his dad for some help, but found his father busily polishing a sword he didn't know his father had.

"I'm waiting, and no, your father will not be helping you out, young man," Mona said.

"Well...when I got to the front of the mob, I caught this girl...she...well...she...I felt her breath out the breath of life," Aen said.

"You let a girl die in the arms of your son!" she rounded on her husband, who didn't seem to really notice that she was getting a little bit mad at him.

"I didn't let a girl die in his arms," Thanos said, "I let her go into a coma like state, which she will stay in thanks to astrapi."

"What does she have to do...oh..." Mona said then shifted her attention back to her son, "Don't tell me you've got a crush on a comatose girl."

"I think I do?" Aen said.

"You really know how to pick them, don't you," Mona said to her son, "If she were a dead girl, things would have been a whole lot simpler or easier...a dying girl too..."

"Mo-om," Aen whined, "While there may be a saying about such things...they're not meant to be taken literally."

"Fine, fine, I was only teasing," she said, "But next time, you had better arrive before the girl gets injured, lest I unleash my womanly wrath on you...AND...your father."

"Yes mother," Aen said, "What about dad? He was there too."

"Oh who cares about him at this point," Mona said, "I'm more concerned about your up and coming love life."

"Mom!" Aen whined embarrassed, his father simply laughed in his seat, thankful that his wife's attention was not focused on him.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works, like the anime Hellsing. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: AU.

"*"

"*"

**Torchlight**

"*"

"*"

_**chapter five**_

"_*"_

"_*"_

"Get in the car Aen!" Thanos called his son from outside their cottage house, "We've got to leave now!"

"Coming dad!" Aen shouted back from the second floor, the cottage gained a second floor and a few more bedrooms ever since Aen was born.

"Thanos! I need help with the supplies!" Mona shouted from inside the house.

"Just shrink them!" he shouted back to his wife.

Rose Potter, Eros, the creation myths speak of her as being love, in one version of the creation myth Eros birthed Light and Day, who brought Tartarus and Gaea to life, and so on and so forth. In another creation myth Eros made the other children of the universe fall in love, get together, and birth the next generation. But since these things were only myths, they weren't all that accurate. Eros, Rose Potter, didn't affect the feelings her siblings had for one another, she simply congratulated them when they decided to pair off. She was the only unmarried member of the children of Thanos and Monaxia. She was also the only one that didn't have a mate, since they were originally only five. After the other four paired off, things got confusing, messed up, and crazy, in the family.

Thanos, Mona, and Aen, were going off to visit their daughter in Los Angeles simply because she had gotten herself pregnant once again. Before this most recent child, Rose had had another child, one that she had been unable to care for due to the machinations of the one that had impregnated her in the first place. The daughter of their union had grown up with very little memory of her birth mother. Rose had managed to secretly visit her daughter, but each time her daughter's memory had been modified.

She had a thing for strong men, but she had standards when it came to strength, the man had to really be strong, really really strong. Not only did they have to possess power, but they also had to look powerful. Which was why her first daughter was sired by the King of the Gods, and her second child, the one that she needed her father's help in keeping was sired by the God of War.

Aen didn't really know how fast they were going, but the trip to his older sister's house was a rather short one compared to how long it would have taken other people to travel such a distance between New York City and Los Angeles.

He had never met any of his siblings before, and now he was going to meet one, and not only was he going to meet one, but also meet one of his nephews, or so his father said that the gender of the child would be. The things that his mother had packed were all of the things that she had used when he was a baby, and was planning on passing on the things to her daughter.

The house that they had reached was larger than the one they themselves lived in, of course the two parents had been expecting such, while Aen didn't know what kind of life his older sister lived. The house had two floors, same as the cottage, but was four times as big, with a big yard, and an even bigger backyard complete with swimming pool. Simply put, she looked to be loaded, compared to her parents who looked simple, and lived a relatively simple lifestyle.

She met them at the door, which Aen was not expecting. She didn't need to help with the luggage as their father had taken care of that with his powers of shrinking things and had their things in the pockets of the vest he wore.

"Who's the kid?" Rose asked her parents once they were seated in the sitting room.

"Your youngest brother," Mona said, then kind of prodded Aen.

"I'm Aeneas Harold Potter, Aen for short, nice to meet you sis," Aen introduced himself and held out a hand in greeting. What he got instead was a bone crushing hug, which he attempted to return, but with his arms held at his sides was unable to.

"You're so cute!" she claimed as she looked to be trying to crush the immortality out of him.

"Ah...Rose dear, you might want to ease up on the hug," Mona told her enthusiastic daughter, "He's starting to turn blue."

"Ah! Sorry!" she immediately let him go, and blushed as red as her hair in embarrassment, she was the only red head in Thanos' immediate family.

"I...It...Its...ok," he said in between breaths, "You're really strong for a girl."

"Is that an insult little brother?" she asked him raising a brow.

"Err...no...I was just saying," he said, a bit scared.

"No need to be scared little bro," she said, and sat beside him on the couch he was on, "I said as much to one of our older brothers, and he didn't pummel me to mush. Dad made sure I was protected from such an assault."

"Your mother would have hit me if I hadn't done anything," Thanos added.

"Yeah! Mom hits him when she thinks I didn't remember to do my homework because of all the fun stuff he likes to do, like go girl watching," Aen said, not noticing his father trying to inch away from his mother, "Though, I don't know how that's supposed to be fun."

"Thanos.." Mona said warningly, with a small promise of either pain or having him sleep on a couch.

"What? Its called training for when he gets older," Thanos said, attempting to defend himself, "I didn't really get to do it when I was a kid."

"From what I recall, kids don't go girl watching," Mona said.

"Fine, teenager," he said.

"Whatever," she said.

Some snacks and refreshments arrived to fill in the void of silence that pervaded the room after the short bout of revelation, but it wasn't uncomfortable which was a good thing.

"Since you're here..." Rose began a new train of conversation, "Will you help me keep my child, I don't want a repeat of...Aph..."

"What was the main reason for her being taken from you in the first place," Thanos asked his daughter, he watched, but that didn't necessarily mean that he listened.

"He claimed it was for her own safety, of course he didn't know exactly how I was related to him, I really don't want to end up like some of our relations," she said, "It was back in the days when Hera still went after all his bastards and lovers with a vengeance."

"And why didn't you fight him for her?" Mona gently asked her daughter.

"I...I didn't think I was ready to be a mother...but I'm sure that I'm ready now...and I don't want to have to lose my baby a second time," she said, "So can you please help me?"

"Of course we will," Thanos said, "At least I will, your mother will help you with being a mother. I'll keep the eyes of Olympus away from you and the child."

"Thanks dad," Rose said.

"What do I do?" Aen asked, he was thirteen at the time.

"You just be my little bro, and be a good uncle for the baby," Rose told her brother smiling.

"Ok, I think I can do that," Aen said.

After the conversation, Thanos left the rest of his immediate family in the house as he went out to summon Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, three of his grandchildren by Erebus and Nyx, they were the Fates. Any other immortal would have been unable to change the minds of the Fates, Thanos wasn't just any other immortal.

"Grandfather, why have you summoned us?" Clotho asked, they had decided to look a bit younger than their grandfather for this appearance.

"Olympus must not know about this second child of Eros," he told them, "Can you do this for me? Block the gaze of Olympus?"

"Sure thing grandfather," Clotho said.

"Anything for you," Lachesis said.

"Uhm...ok," Atropos said.

"I need a definite answer Atropos," Thanos told his granddaughter.

"Yes, sir," she said sheepishly.

"Good," Thanos said, "Would you like to come in?"

"Ok," they said, and followed him as he went back into the house.

Upon entering the house, they made a beeline for the sitting room where the Mona, Aen, and the pregnant Rose were. Aen found it really weird being called uncle by three women that were clearly older than him. Rose was surprised that her nieces came to visit. Mona wasn't expecting anyone else from their family to help Rose, they all seemed to stay away from the first family.

"Hi granny!" the three said at exactly the same time, they each gave Mona a hug, then crowded around their aunt, "Do you want to know the gender?"

"I already know the baby's a boy," Rose told them, "Is there any particular path that he will take that I should know about?"

"None," Lachesis told her aunt, "Grampa said 'no', so we won't be...planning anything for him."

"Well that's good to know," Rose told them, "Now explain to me why you haven't been visiting me."

"Well...we thought you were like Mom and Dad, and the other two," they replied, "The family doesn't really like visiting one another and such."

"I know that," Rose said, "But it would have been nice for you to have visited once in a while."

"Hehe, then why haven't you come to visit us?" they asked her.

"I don't know where you live," she stated.

"Oh yeah...sorry, hehe," they said, "But we're here now! We've even got a new uncle that we didn't know about. Gramps really knows how to hide in plain sight."

"Of course I do," Thanos said as he leaned on the door frame of the door into the room.

"So then, why'd you ask for help from the Fates?" Rose asked.

"Easier for you to hide, and for the present 'rulers' to not be aware that your mother and I are still around, and may possibly pose a threat to their present rule," Thanos said, "Not that I'd like to get back the responsibility of the entire cosmos again."

"Oh...so how long will you be staying over?" Rose asked him.

"Til the end of summer, Aen's got school in the fall, but your mom will be staying longer," Thanos said.

"I don't want to have to transfer schools again," Aen said, "But if Dad'll let me I'll visit on weekends or something."

"You had better Aen, I still need to get to know you, you know," Rose said.

"I promise I will," Aen said.

"He will, rather, we will," Thanos said, "Its a good thing I didn't name him Theseus, huh."

"That's not very funny Dad," Rose and Aen said, Mona and the Fates weren't paying attention as they were busy catching up.

"I wonder how Camp would treat your kid, Rose," Thanos said.

"You plan on sending him there?" she asked, "Why? He's not a half-blood."

"I'm not planning on sending him anywhere he doesn't want to go, or you want him to go," Thanos said, "I'm just wondering, Aen and I have already encountered them once."

"When was that?" Rose asked.

"Just last year," Aen said, "I kind of felt like some sort of tragic hero or something."

"Why's that?" Rose asked, "You play hero and didn't save the damsel in distress or something."

"...yeah," he said.

"She's not dead, like I keep reminding you," Thanos said, "Just in a coma."

"That's not really all that nice you know," Aen said, "I mean...well...it would have been nice if I had been faster or something."

"Well, when she gets out of her comma, you can apologize for not being fast enough," Rose said, "That's how these things work...I think..."

"If you say so," Aen said, then they moved on to more cheerful topics, like the color scheme of the kid, and his name. Aen loved that part of the conversation, as he went through all the Greek names he could think of, as well as all the Latin names he could think of.

Aen spent his birthday in Los Angeles, he shared the same birthday as his Dad, though he didn't know that, they never did celebrate Thanos' birthday or Mona's for that matter, since no one really knew when hers was, Thanos could probably ask the Conductor.

Then when it was nearly September Thanos and Aen returned to their home in NYC. On the first of September Aen went to school again, while Thanos went about working as a bartender of a bar he owned, it gave him something to do with his time. While Mona stayed with Rose, the Fates occasionally visited each house, since it did give them something else to do with their time.

On March 25, Thanos had Aen skip class so that they could visit with Rose in Los Angeles since her baby was to be born on that day. The Fates were present, as well as the human forms of Tartarus, Gaea, Nyx, and Erebus. They had heard from the Fates about their new little brother, as well as Rose's pregnancy, and since their parents actually appeared from out of wherever they were hiding, they decided to visit.

They were all waiting in the waiting area, while Rose was inside the delivery room with her mother at her side. It was a slightly long wait, even for ones that had lived for countless years, and would live for countless more. Thanos had actually, due to boredom, brought out a deck of cards and engaged his sons in a game of poker, while his daughters talked about gardening.

When the head doctor finally came out, he informed Thanos that the rest of the family, large as it was could go in, one by one. Thanos convinced the doctor to allow the whole family in at once. So in they went, and crowded around the bed, where Rose and her baby were laying.

"He's so cute!" Nyx and Gaea acted like young girls and cooed over the baby, while the boys congratulated their sister. Thanos walked over to his wife who was sitting in a chair, and they both simply smiled at their enthusiastic children, and of course the grandchildren that had decided to come and visit as well.

"What a happy family we have once again," Mona said, "Is this what you wanted when you asked for Aen?"

"Hmm...I think so," Thanos said, running his fingers through his hair, "I haven't been around so much cheer in a while, its quite refreshing."

"I agree," Mona told him, "So are you going to go over there and see your new grandson?"

"When Rose calls for me," Thanos said, "I'll accompany you for now since I haven't actually seen you since Aen and I left you at Rose' last August."

"Dad! Get your ass over here!" Rose called out, Aen running over to him and dragging him to the bed so he could see his new grandson.

"Gelio meet your grandpa," Rose said as she held out her son to her father, "Dad, meet Gelio."

"Hello little one," Thanos said as he took the babe into his arms, "I bet you'll be quite a handsome young man in a few years...I look forward to corrupting you..."

"Da-ad," Rose whined, "No corrupting my kid, just corrupt Aen."

"Hey!" Aen said, then pouted, as his siblings and mother laughed at him.

"I would, but your mother doesn't really like me doing that," he said, and they laughed at him, including the new born.

"Does Ares know?" Rose suddenly asked.

"He does not know," the Fates said, "We made sure of it, he will only know when and if you inform him of Gelio."

"So then," Thanos said, Mona now carrying little Gelio, "What is his full name?"

"Gelio Harry Potter," Rose stated, then they all collectively watched Thanos faint.

"Dad!" the children shouted as they, minus Rose and Mona, rushed to his side, and move him to a chair.

"Mom? Why'd Dad faint?" Rose asked her mother, after Gelio was return to her.

"Hahaha," Mona laughed a bit before answering her daughter, her sons and other daughters, and the grandchildren switched their attention to her wanting to hear the reason, "Because you have unknowingly named Gelio after your own father. His old name, as he told me a long long time ago, was Harry James Potter."

"Ugh..." Thanos said as he was coming to, "I take it that you told them Mona."

"Of course, you did faint after all," Mona told her husband.

"Its rather strange..." Thanos said, "I'd never expected one of my grandchildren to share my old name."

"Is it too late to add a James to Gelio's name?" Rose asked one of the nurses still in the room.

"No ma'am," the nurse replied, "Should I alter the name?"

"Yes please," Rose said, "Add a James please."

"You can't be serious," Thanos said from his seat.

"I'm as serious as an oath on the River Styx," Rose told her father.

"Oh fine, he is your kid, and it is not my place to say whether or not he should be named such," Thanos said, "I still can't believe the luck...haha."

"Interesting turn of events," Clotho said.

"What do you mean?" Tartarus asked his niece.

"I somehow have a feeling that there is some kind of irony," Clotho said.

"In my old life, I had a prophecy hanging over my head," Thanos told them, "But this one that shares my old name does not have such. I envy him a little."

"Whoa, Dad, envying a kid," Nyx said, "That's really messed up."

"Now that we have met him," Mona said, "You lot better head on back to Rose's house, we'll follow shortly."

"I've already modified the memories of the mortals," Thanos announced, "Gelio may be brought home, he's as healthy as...well...as a god."

When they had all returned to Rose's house, they went to the sitting room, where they could all relax a little bit. The main topic of discussion was what exactly was Gelio. The debate had started when Thanos mentioned how healthy Gelio was.

"So what is he exactly?" Erebus asked the group, "I don't think that there has been a documented case such as this before."

"There has been one previous case," the Fates, all three, stated, "Aph is Aunty's daughter by the Olympus Lord."

"Ugh..." Thanos mumbled as he and Mona sat in a corner with Mona in his lap, they were both sleeping while their children and grandchildren participated in the debate, including Aen.

"Aph? As in...?" Eris, daughter of Erebus and Nyx, said, "I thought she was a child of Dione."

"It was a kidnapping with lots of memory modification," the Fates said, "There are some things that eve we, the Fates, are powerless to change, or stop from happening, unless specifically requested by grandfather."

"So then, what is Aph and Gelio?" Nemesis, daughter of Nyx and Erebus, asked, "Aph is considered as a goddess, does that make Gelio one as well?"

"It is possible that he is a god," Geras said, she was a child of Nyx and Erebus too, "He is a bastard of Ares after all, and a god cannot father a titan or one of the secondary forces...though there are those that think of Aph as a titan."

"It is possible that for now, he is a god, but as he grows older he may become titan, or join.." Aether, a son of Erebus and Nyx, said, but was interrupted by his twin sister Hemera.

"Titan is as far as he may go," she said, "There is no way that he could rise to be one of us, a grandchild of grandfather Thanos, but he still has Ares' ichor in his veins."

"Now that we've established what he may be," Pontus, son of Gaea and Tartarus, said, "What do you think are his chances of being accepted into Camp Half-Blood?"

"Camp? Why should he have to go to Camp? We need not bow down to the laws of Olympus," Ponos, another son of Erebus and Nyx, stated, "Unless you think that his god blood is a significant factor in his future."

"His future is blocked from our sight," the Fates said, "By request of grandfather."

"Then only time will tell," Typhon's voice reverberated throughout the room, he was unable to be physically present due to his imprisonment, he was one of the unlucky ones.

"I have a question," Aen said.

"What is it little brother?" Tartarus asked.

"What do you think my chances are of getting into Camp?" Aen asked, which woke up Thanos who had fallen asleep, while Mona remained in blissful sleep.

"If you want in, you'll be let in," Thanos spoke from his corner, as he ran his fingers through Mona's hair, "Though you'll be undetermined and placed in the Hermes House."

"Why would you want to be admitted in the Camp?" Erebus asked his little brother, "You've got mom and dad taking care of you, and we'll be visiting every now and then from today onward."

"He's got a blooming crush on the pine tree guardian of the Camp," Lachesis informed the uninformed.

"Hey! I do not," Aen denied the fact instantly.

"Haha!" his siblings laughed, "You denied it too fast! Which means you do!"

"Now the child of such a union is something that is truly debatable," Nyx said, "What do you think little brother, what would your child with this tree be considered as."

"No teasing your little brother," Thanos scolded.

"Aww," Nyx and Gaea said.

"I wonder if we could have a family reunion..." Gaea said after a short bout of silence.

"No way," everyone else said, minus Thanos and the slumbering one.

"It was just a suggestion," she said, "Why not?"

"There's way too many of us," Tartarus told her, "It could potentially cause the end of everything. Think of all the fighting that could happen."

"We see no possible event such as that occurring anytime, period," the Fates said.

"I'm going to bed," Thanos announced as he lifted Mona up bridal style, "Aen, sleep in the room Rose provided for you."

"Hey, I stopped sneaking into your room when I was nine," Aen said.

"Nine?" Tartarus asked, "Years, centuries, milleniums, or eons?"

"Years old," Aen clarified.

"Baby brother is so cute!" rumbling was heard from Mount Saint Helens due to Typhon's sudden outburst.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works, like the anime Hellsing. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: AU.

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**Torchlight**

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_**chapter six**_

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"Why in the world did I let father talk me into participating in that accelerated course," Aen muttered, he had graduated only after a few years of study with a post graduate degree in chemistry, while holding several masters degrees. His father had thought that it was a good idea since he always seemed so bored with his studies, his mother didn't really have an opinion on the matter. But she did say that she wished at least one of her children should get a degree of some sort.

It was the year 2005 and he was 17 years old, but not to the day. He was visiting a museum at the same time as one of the local schools was having their field trip there. He knew that there was something off about the group of students, especially when he caught a whiff of satyr, centaur, and something else that he could have sworn he had smelled somewhere before, but couldn't quite remember where and when it was. Accompanying him was his nephew Gelio, who matured at what would have been considered an alarming rate if one did not know who his parents were, or relatives for that matter.

Gelio too had sensed the strangeness of the group, and so had chosen to quietly follow his uncle as he stalked the group. Even going so far as to follow when a student was brought aside by one of the teachers, and led to a closed off room in the museum. They watched the interaction, and the change that had taken place, as well as the short lived moment of battle.

"Dad dislikes set paths," Aen mumbled, then spoke to Gelio, "Looks like you'll have to return to your mother earlier than expected. I have a student to look after now, one with quite the potential."

"But I don't wanna go home yet," Gelio said, "We haven't seen the statues yet."

"Oh fine," Aen said, "Just because you're my favorite godson, we'll go see the Greek exhibit."

"I'm your only godson," Gelio said.

"I know," Aen said, and carried his young companion over to the recently vacated Greek exhibit.

For the rest of that school year, Aen took to shadowing the young man he had watched with Gelio battle a Fury. He made sure that no other monster got too close to him, he thought it his duty to protect this one young demigod, and hoped that he did not fail in what he perceived as his duty. His father had given him enough of those special matchboxes and matchsticks, as well as a long flashlight, the kind that security guards use, to help him in his self appointed protection detail of the young demigod.

It was a good thing that he kept watch over the young man, as he had so much fun beating up and dusting the monsters that had noticed the youth, the youth known as Perseus Jackson. Aen had turn a particularly well disguised dragon into a stuffed toy one afternoon as he watched the young man make him way home one afternoon. It was a lot of fun, he brought the dragon home that afternoon, instead of dusting it. The thing had had a heart attack after finding itself staring face to face with the Fates themselves, which didn't send it to dust. Aen had turned it into a toy before that could happen, and gave it to Gelio as a present.

Another time, while the teen was taking a dip in a public pool, he was almost attacked by a sea serpent, what in the world it was doing in a public pool was not Aen's concern, but he did concern himself with turning the thing into a skipping rope, which he gave to Gelio as another gift. The child eventually turned the skipping rope into a bungee cord which Rose didn't really mind, since she knew that her kid wouldn't get killed even if the rope somehow suddenly snapped and he was hurtled some great distance. She wasn't careless, she just knew how perfect his survival rate was.

There was also the time that a pack of hellhounds that looked like a pack of wild dogs chased after the teen, but unfortunately found themselves face to face with Aen's rolled up newspaper. They were lucky that they only became the pets of Gelio. That child had an assortment of monster that were saved the trouble of dusting as they became his property thanks to his godfather and uncle Aeneas. Though Thanos did scold his son about stealing the newspaper before he could read it.

It was at the first day of summer vacation for that school year, that Aen had to call in some form of reinforcements as this time he would have to deal with monsters that reported directly with the gods, specifically the Furies were planning a strike full force, and they were accompanied by a bull, with an ax to grind, so to speak.

He told his mother that he might not be home for a while, even though he was nearing the age of majority, he had no plans of actually leaving home. He needed to keep his parents company for as long as possible as he didn't want to turn out like his older siblings that took eons before they visited.

"While I don't mind the rain all that much," Aen said aloud as he ran after the Jacksons, he noticed that his extremely metal umbrella hadn't been struck by lightning yet. There was thunder overhead, but not a single bolt of lightning lit up the sky, "I can' believe there aren't any lightning bolts!"

He had been running ever since he sensed the bull monster approaching the cabin the family of two were using for the weekend. He was actually using the torch his father had given him, its light really did light up the way. It was like the sun was shining through the thing. The light was that bright, but of course it only lit up a certain portion of the darkness just like any flashlight.

"Dad, I really want to strangle you now," Aen said as he finally caught up with the bull monster, he threw matchsticks, lit ones so that they acted like fireballs, at the monster's back. While they did hurt it, they didn't really do all that much damage as the rain overpowered the flames. So he simply continued to throw more, and more, and more, until he ran out of half his stock of matchsticks, "Dad's gonna kill me..."

'_Move faster Aeneas! Or are you going to fail in your self imposed duty?_' Thanos spoke to his son telepathically.

"Sir, yes sir!, I mean...shit!" he noticed that the bull monster had, what looked to have, killed the mother of the teen that he had decided to watch out for, he ran at the monster, torch drawn, unlike his father's flashlight gun, this one could adjust the light and turn it into a sword of searing light. He rushed the monster, and raced up its back and brought his sword down on the monster splitting it down the middle, just as Perseus Jackson thrust the piece of horn he had managed to break off through the monster's heart. They dusted the monster at exactly the same time.

"...huh?" the teen said as he noticed Aen standing while holding his long black flashlight in one hand, the other held out in front of the teen as he had fallen on his ass tired as hell from the fight for his life.

"Sorry I wasn't fast enough," Aen said, "I've been keeping you safe ever since I spotted your battle at the museum."

"You...you saw me?" Perseus said, "I'm Percy by the way."

"Aen," Aen said, "Sorry about your mother..."

"I...Its...Its alright...its not your fault...I wasn't fast enough..." Percy said, "I wasn't strong enough to protect her."

"As your self appointed protector, I should be the one apologizing," Aen said, "I wasn't fast enough, my Dad actually kind of scolded me a while back for being so slow."

"Oh...thanks...again... for the help," Percy said, finally feeling as tired as he should be, the fight really took a lot out of him. Instead of saying more, he simply fainted on the spot, the good thing was that he didn't faint in Aen's arms, just while grasping his hand.

"I really don't like these near repeat performances," Aen said, "Centaur, demigod! Get out here already! I sensed your arrival!"

The centaur and his companion crossed the property line after Aen called them out.

"Well well well," Aen said, "As I live and breathe, Chiron the trainer of heroes, interesting."

"I seem to be at a loss young man," Chiron said, "Who are you?"

"I am Aeneas, not to be confused with the Trojan," Aen introduced himself, as he draped Percy over his shoulder, "I think it would be a good idea if we brought him inside."

"Indeed," Chiron said, and led the way, while his companion muttered something that sounded like 'being the one.

"I'm not much of a fan of prophecies," Aen stated, as he crossed the property line, chancing a glance at the pine tree, nodding to it knowing who it actually was, "Cursed things..."

After depositing Percy in the Big House, and leaving him in the care of the demigod who was introduced as Annabeth, Aen followed Chiron out to the docks where they had a little chat.

"You were here five years ago," Chiron said, "I remember sensing your aura, though it was a little bit more concealed back then, less powerful too."

"I figured as much," Aen said, "So, what do you want to talk to me about."

"I am at a loss as to what you are," Chiron said, "I know you were with someone similar to you that time, but the feeling I got was different from what I an sensing from you. Why did you not wait with her body? Why did you run away?"

"It wasn't our time to reveal our existence," Aen said, "My Dad said, we couldn't, not yet...also my mom would have gotten really worried if we hadn't gone home when we did."

"You're not a half-blood are you," Chiron said.

"Well...I'm complicated, that's what I am," Aen said, "Listen, since the kid got here alright and all that, I've gotta go."

"Go where? Home perhaps?" Chiron asked, "Perhaps you should stay here for a while, until young Percy get better."

"Fine," Aen said, "I'll stay, but not as one of your campers. I've already graduated from anything you could teach me here."

"You speak like an outcast hero," Chiron noted, "Why is that?"

"Technically speaking, the Olympians are unaware of my existence," Aen said, "I might as well tell you that much, but as for who my parents are...well...I can't tell you that Son of Kronos."

"Not that many young people know about that little bit of information," Chiron said, "You speak of it as if it were a curse."

"You think of it as one," Aen said, "Now, I'll go sleep in the forest, the one stocked full of beasts, don't worry about my safety, I'm armed."

"I see," Chiron said, "I sense that even if I were to try and pull rank, you would not listen to me."

"Indeed I would not," Aen said, "Want another hint as to my parentage?"

"If you think I am deserving," the centaur said.

"I have no aunts or uncles," Aen said, before apparating with nary a crack, and reappearing amidst a nest of spider-women, which he tore apart making them as crispy as bacon his mother would sometimes prepare for breakfast. In the end, the only remaining one ended up persuading Aen into allowing her to live by swearing to serve him for all eternity.

With his arachne underling, which he named Beth for some reason, he had her weave a web for him. A funnel type of web, where he could stay in, use as shelter for the time he would be spending at Camp. She went to work immediately, and once done, made a burrow for herself.

Aen spent his waking hours up in the trees watching the campers go about their daily routines, their training, and their fun. It looked to be different from what he himself was used to. Since his childhood, and what training he had received from his family, was held in a regular and more modern environment.

It got boring real fast, watching all the young people moving about, doing stuff, be it fighting or arts and crafts. So Aen decided that perhaps it was time to consult with a higher power.

He sat at the edge of the docks, from where he could see some naiads trying to catch his attention.

"Dad, I need your permission," Aen said as if talking to no one but himself, one of the campers had seen him step onto the dock and decided to eavesdrop, "I really want to do something stupid..."

'_You've already done something like that_' Thanos replied, '_A Camper is eavesdropping on your side of the conversation._'

"Shit," Aen cursed, stood up and whirled around, his sword igniting, and his matchsticks lit between his fingers, all of this he did in one fluid motion, "Who goes there? Show yourself!"

It was a member of Aphrodite's cabin, surprisingly, even for him, she had pink hair of all colors, she was around five feet tall, and looked to be a bit on the frail side. She had a baby face, was kind of cute or so Aen thought, but she also looked to be twelve.

"I...I'm s-sorry," she stuttered out, "I...I s-saw you...I'm s-sorry."

"Stop apologizing," he told her, "I can't believe you're my grandniece...whoops..."

'_If Olympus starts bugging you, I'm going to allow your siblings to start teasing you if you ask for divine intervention,_' Thanos told him, '_Do as you please or wish. You are old enough to make such decisions for yourself. Just remember to learn from your mistakes, and Gelio misses you._'

'_Thanks Dad, for understanding my situation in your own way,_' Aen told his dad, before closing off his end of the conversation.

"G-Grandniece?" she asked him, a little bit confused.

"Shh," Aen said, doing the gesture for silence, "That was supposed to be a secret...so I would really appreciate it if you didn't spread that little tidbit around."

"Uh...o-okay," she said, "B-but why'd y-you c-call me that?"

"Its a secret," he said, "I really wasn't supposed to mention it, so don't think on it, cause I know for a fact that there is a god on Mount Olympus that would be very mad if word ever got out about it. So you gotta promise not to tell, okay?"

"Y-yes," she promised.

"Glad to hear it," he summoned her over to him, and she found herself sitting beside him at the edge of the dock, as if by magic, "Now that I've talked with my Dad about some of the possibly stupid things I might do here, is there something you want to know?"

"Uhm...y-your n-name?" she said unsure of herself.

"You must be the black sheep of your cabin, huh," he said, "I thought all of Aph's kids would be the outgoing kind."

"Aph?" she asked.

"Yeah, Aph, as in Aphrodite," he said, "Say, do you happen to go home during the school year, or are you an all rounder?"

"I...I'm an all rounder," she admitted, "My Dad didn't really like the fact that he was saddled with me."

"That's really too bad," he said, "Well, since I already told you a bit about the secret, I don't think my sis would mind if I told you a bit more."

"Huh?" she said.

"Well, as I said, you're one of my grandnieces by Aph," he said, "You've got an uncle a few years younger than you actually. I'm sure he'd like the company during the school year."

"I have an uncle on my mother's side that is younger than even me?" she asked, her shyness being washed away by his inner light, it was something he had gotten from his dad.

"Yeah, my sis, which would be your grandma, lives in LA," he said, "So what do you say?"

"I...I wouldn't want to impose," she said, "Are you sure it would be alright?"

"Yeah sure, sis has got a big house, the Olympus Lord hasn't really given her much of a thought, not that he has the power needed to subdue her if she ever got really mad," he said, "She inherited our mom's temper and strength."

"So...is my mom really the daughter of..." she asked.

"The Olympus Lord? Yeah, Mr Lightning Bolts is your grandpa," he said, "Though I think of him as an ass some of the time."

"Why is that?" she asked him.

"Well for one thing, I know for a fact that there are a few more of his children out in the world that he simply refuses to acknowledge," he said, "Dad doesn't really like that about him either, family is very important to Dad."

"Who's your dad anyway? Poseidon? You were talking to your dad by the water," she said.

"So you assumed...haha, nah, that guy's not my Dad," he said, "Since you've promised to keep these things a secret, I'll give you a hint."

"Ok," she said.

"The sister I'm thinking of asking to take you in for most of the up and coming school year is named Rose, her son, your uncle, is Gelio," he said, "I have two other sisters, and two brothers. One of my sisters has a queer relationship with one of her sons, my other sister has a lot of immortal children."

"I don't really get it," she admitted scratching the back of her head, "Could I ask one of the Athena kids for some help?"

"Hmm..." he said, running a hand through his hair, "Yeah sure, just make sure you don't let anything slip..."

"Uhm..." she said.

"Yeah?" he said glancing in her direction.

"What's your name?" she asked, twiddling her thumbs and looking at the water.

"I'm Aen," he said, "How about you?"

"I'm Airlia," she said, "Airlia Johnson, nice to meet you, Aen."

"Nice to meet you as well," he said, "By the way, Aen's just my nickname, my real name is Aeneas Potter, I would appreciate it if you don't mention my name to anyone either, not even Chiron and especially not the Wine Dude."

"Ok," she said, "So why are you at camp?"

"Oh, I'm just here to make sure Percy Jackson is safe...I protected him this past year," he said, "It was fun, I got to fight all sorts of monsters."

"You're so brave," she said, "I wish I had someone like you looking after me..."

"If you want someone to watch your back or something, I guess I could," he said, "My self appointed duty to the Son of the Sea God is over...whoops...hehe...looks like I can't hold my tongue while in the presence of a pretty girl."

"T-thanks for the c-compliment," she said.

"You're welcome," he said, "I was being serious though, you want me protection, you got it. So if you're ever in a bind or just want to have someone to talk to, just say my name, my nickname preferably, I'll hear you."

"Like...'Aen'" she said, testing the sound of it on her lips.

"Yea, but well...you'd have to think about wanting my help or something like that," he said, "One more thing about my protection. Should you for some reason find yourself in the underworld, I won't be able to bring you back to life."

"I...I understand," she said, "I didn't expect that you'd be able to go against the laws of Death."

"Actually I can go against the laws of death," he said, "Its just that it wouldn't be fair to you or the other souls if I did help you out once you get there."

"I understand," she said, "So...what happens now?"

"I dunno, I only came to the dock to talk to Dad," he said, "You any good at fighting?"

"Not really," she admitted, "We of the Aphrodite cabin aren't really all that good when it comes to fighting."

"That's good to hear," he said.

"What?" she said startled by what he said, and misinterpreting his words, though insulting as they may have seemed.

"I didn't mean to insult you," he said getting up, "You just gave me an idea about what I'm going to do with the rest of my stay. How would you like to train with me?"

"Are you sure that would be alright?" she asked, "I mean...uhm..."

"Shall we go?" he said holding out a hand for her.

"Uhm...okay," she said blushing slightly as she held his hand.

He held her hand, then suddenly let go, but when he did, she found herself in an unfamiliar part of the Camp grounds. It was near where Beth and Aen's camp was situated.

"W-Where are we?" she asked.

"Eh...we're somewhere in the forest, the one stocked full of monsters," he said, "Why? Never been in here before?"

"I've been in here," she said, "Just not to this exact spot."

"Oh," he said.

"How'd we get here so fast?" she asked, looking everywhere for something that looked remotely familiar.

"Magic," he simply said, and pulled out a sword made out of diamond from the ground.

"Magic?" she said, then noticed the sword he held in his hands, it was a short sword, made entirely out of diamond, black diamond for the hilt and cross-guard, and regular diamond for the blade, "Where'd you get that?"

"Huh? This?" he said holding the short sword.

"Yes," she said.

"I pulled it out of the ground," he said, "My Dad taught me how to do it once...hehe...the power of a whining child."

"That sounds so mean you know," she said.

"Yeah, I know," he said, "But it was his idea."

"I don't think I understand," she said confused.

"He told me once that there would be times that he would not be able to teach me stuff, unless there was a good reason," he explained, "He said he didn't like hearing me whine, and once said that if it would get me to stop whining, he'd teach me something cool."

"Oh, that's pretty...weird for a parent to say," she said.

"Yeah, I told him that too," he said, "But he said, that his childhood was weird, so it was okay if he was weird."

"Oh...so what are you going to do with that?" she asked him, backing away slightly, in case he decided to used it on her.

"Ah, this," he said, then held out the sword to her, hilt first, "For you. I know for a fact that you don't have a magical item to help you in battle."

She took the sword, and examined it with the critical eye that every member of her cabin had. The whole thing was made out of diamond, nothing but diamond, or so it seemed. She wasn't really sure, but she felt something else in it, some hidden power.

"Its not all diamond is it," she said, "And shouldn't there be a sheathe or something."

"Ahh, yeah," he said, "Hehe...there's a sleeping potion inside. If you manage to wound your opponent, the potion will be injected into the person or thing's bloodstream or something, and put your opponent to sleep."

"Oh, why are you giving this to me?" she asked, "What's the real reason, not that I'm not grateful, but I just met you."

"Hehe, do I really need a reason to give a friend a gift?" he said, cheekily, "Anyway, it'll turn into any piece of jewelry you want it to be just by thinking it. I'd recommend a bracelet or a ring."

"Ok, so I just think of what I want it to become, and it'll turn into that?" she said, "Neat, but if say...I turn it into pair of earrings, when I need to turn it back into a sword, how..."

"Don't worry about it," he said, "When you want it as jewelry, it'll go to the spots that it needs to be. When you need it as a blade to attack or defend, it will go to your hands instantly."

"Thanks, thank you very much, I really appreciate it," she said, "So...are you going to teach me how to use it?"

"Sure," he said, "Come at me with the intent to kill."

"Hu-what?" she said confused, until of course she noticed that in stead of the seventeen year old she had been talking to standing in front of her, there was now what looked to be a mix between a chimera, a nemean lion, and a hydra, in his place. She also noticed that it was slowly circling her, as if gauging the best way to tear her to shreds.

Instead of attacking, she just fainted on the spot.

"Damn...I think I overdid it," he said transforming back into a human, so he picked her up, and brought her back to the more civilized part of camp. Specifically he brought her to the front of Aphrodite's Cabin.

The campers around that particular cabin, didn't know how to react to a guy suddenly appearing from out of nowhere with a girl in his arms. He carried her bridal style, as it wouldn't do to carry her like a sack of potatoes. Since she was unconscious, her sword reverted into a complete set of jewelry, earrings, a ring, bracelets, and a necklace. Of course in their accessory state, they had some gold on them, a bit more of magic woven into the sword allowed such a thing to happen.

"Lia!" Silena Beauregrd shouted as she realized who was the girl in Aen's arms, "What did you do to her?"

"Eh...I might have scared her a bit...ehehehe..." he said, a bit frightened for the survival of his jewels, "She kind of fainted when I was helping her train."

"Well, come on then," she said, "Bring her in, I'll show you her bunk."

"Ok," he said, and followed her into the cabin, and when they got to Lia's bed, he laid her on it, "Well, guess I'll just go and talk to Chiron now."

"Halt," Silena told him with an icy tone.

"Erm...yeah?" he said, turning around to face her, "Is there a problem with my leaving?"

"Yes there is," she said, "What exactly did you do to her? I demand an explanation."

"I just tried to help her train," he said, "She seemed so confident, when she was with me, I thought she could handle a monster."

"You tried to train her using a monster?" she asked him, a dark aura suddenly surrounded her, "How could you do that to her! What if the monster managed to kill her, huh? What would you do then? Say you're sorry?"

"It wouldn't have gotten to that point," he calmly said, forgetting his fear, "I won't fail another girl like that again," he then walked out of the cabin as Silena's anger deflated at his parting words.

'_Again?_' she wondered what he meant by that part of his statement.

No one saw him leave the cabin, and thus a rumor started to spread about there being a ghost in the camp, possibly of some unfortunate camper in the past that had died in some training accident, which was why he had brought Airlia back to her cabin before the same thing could happen to her. Some of the students raced over to the Big House to ask Chiron about the ghost, and found that he didn't seem to know anything about some ghost.

When Percy was finally up and about, whenever that was as Aen didn't really keep track of days when he didn't want to, it was announced that there would be a capture the flag game. It was tradition after all, and it looked like Chiron had something planned for him.

"You want me to what?" Aen asked disbelievingly.

"I want you to participate in the game," Chiron said, "You are a new, although unofficial, resident of the camp after all."

"Oh fine," Aen said, "But I get to chose which side I join."

"I'm assuming that you'll be joining the Aphrodite's kids," Chiron said.

"Yeah, Lia still needs some help, I forgot for a moment there that not everyone's like me," Aen said, and walked out of the Big House, and headed for Aph's cabin.

When he got there, all the people around that area recognized him instantly and began panicking and shouting, and generally running around like headless chickens.

"So you are real, Mr Ghost," Silena said as he approached her, "What do you want?"

"First, I'm not a ghost," he said, "Second I'm looking for Airlia, I still need to apologize to her, I haven't had the chance to."

"She's inside, getting ready for the game," Silena said.

So he simply vanished from where he stood and appeared where Airlia was changing, or rather putting on her armor. Silena was left thinking that he really was a ghost, a ghost in denial of what he was.

"Sorry about scaring you," he said, spooking the girl.

"Eeek!" she shouted, as she spun around, sword drawn and pointed at him, "Huh? Oh, its you..."

"I forgot that not everyone's like me," he said, "Can you forgive me?"

"Uh...okay," she said, "You're not secretly a ghost are you?"

"I'm not a ghost," he said, "So...Chiron said I've gotta join the game, and I'm on your side."

"Are you still going to help me train?" she asked him.

"Sure," he said, "Though experience it the greatest teacher, but sure, I'll help you."

"Uhm..during the capture the flag...will you watch my back?" she asked him.

"Sure thing princess," he said, "I'll watch your back, you'll be as Achilles, minus the heel."

"Huh? Then how am I going to learn how to fight?" she asked him.

"How about this instead," he said, "I'll guide your movements, I'll be invisible as the winds, and guide you on how to move in battle. How about that?"

"Ok, its like one on one training right," she said.

"Yeah," he said, "So. Do yo need help getting changed?"

"No! Now get out!" she shouted, while pushing him out.

It took her a while to get ready for the competition, since she couldn't get the image of Aen helping her change out of her mind. She was blushing all the way to the starting point of their side of the field. Aphrodite, was part of team Ares, while team Athena, only had Hermes and Apollo as allies. Aen was, as he said, as the wind. He swirled invisibly around Airlia, she didn't really know that though as it would have either creeped her out or...well...nevermind.

When the game began, Airlia was told to just try and slow down the enemy. Winning didn't really matter to her personally. She just wanted to get better so that she wouldn't be so useless in battle. So she ran where Aen whispered in her ear to go.

The first of the enemy that she met were a bunch of Hermes kids. They knew she wasn't all that good and so decided to take pity on her, and so didn't take her seriously. They were knocked unconscious in a matter of a few minutes.

"_I'm downloading every action and movement you make into your mental and muscle memory_" he whispered into her ear, "_You'll get better a lot faster this way, I shall ingrain survival into your instincts._"

She moved as he instructed like the wind that he made himself into being for the duration of the competition. She zipped through the forest looking for another group to take out, like she was a child of Hermes and not the goddess of love and beauty.

But her last set of opponents just wouldn't go down so easily, they had her at a disadvantage in that they were archers of Apollo's Cabin, and she was a short range fighter. So she hid behind a tree to make sure that she didn't get hurt, she was uninjured so far.

"_Aen, I need your help,_" she whispered her plea, as if a prayer to the gods.

"_There are five of them, its time for you to use the part of Aph in you,_" he whispered to her.

"_What part of Aph? What do you mean?_" she asked him.

"_They're only five of them, all of them male,_" he informed her, "_Your mother is the Goddess of Love and Beauty, is she not? Are you not her child? You've got the beauty part down, all you need to do is get them to fall in love with you. Charm them, make them putty in your hands._"

"_And how do you suggest I do that? I don't know how to do that kind of thing,_" she said.

"_Just search deep within you,_" he instructed her, while at the same time requesting that time be slowed down around them, his father did as requested, "_There is a hidden well of power deep inside of you. Surely you have felt it before. Remember, you have to want them to fall madly in love with you._"

"_I don't know what you're talking about,_" she said, "_I've never felt this power that you're talking about._"

"_Fine...I guess, you'll have to call for help then,_" he said, "_Pray to Eros for some help._"

"_Eros?"_ she asked him.

"_Just do it!_" he whispered loudly, well as loud as one could do as a whisper.

'_Eros...please help me find and use the power that Aeneas told me about,_' she mentally prayed, then not a moment later, she felt a tingling sensation rush through her veins, then exploding outward. She didn't see any kind of visible signs of the power coming forth, but she knew that something about her was different. Time had also return to regular speed around her and Aen.

"_The power flows, just remember to focus on what you want to happen,_" Aen whispered to her, "_Focus on your intent, focus on what you want your power to accomplish._"

So she did as he said, and focused on wanting the Apollo archers, all five of them even not knowing where they were, to simply fall in love with her, fall madly in love with her. Her power was being used the same manner that a Veela's powers work. The boys didn't stand a chance against her.

"_So what do I do now?_" she asked Aen after the guys were practically worshiping the ground she stood on.

"_Well, the game's about to end, Athena for the win and all that,_" he informed her, "_You might as well release them from your power...though there will be some kind or form of side effect, but no lasting damage._"

She prayed for help again, and so she felt how to shut off the flow of power. With the power no longer being released, she expected the five guys to stop in their adoration, which they didn't.

"_They'll be having an extreme form of crush on you for the next three days or so, maximum is a week, and they'll get over you_" Aen informed her after analyzing everything with his magical senses, "_Don't worry, it won't affect their future feelings towards you or anyone for that matter. You haven't enslaved them for all eternity._"

As they made their way back to where the rest of the campers were, Aen made himself visible again, and walked directly beside Lia, the five guys trailing behind her. It didn't take a seer to notice the state that the guys were in when she arrived with them staring at her with so much love and adoration, she actually feared that they'd start building a temple to her and worshiping her instead of her mother, that would be bad, really bad.

"What in the world?" Silena said just as Lia and Aen approached her.

"I helped her out a bit," Aen said.

"He helped me...and well..." Lia said, "These guys are the result of the help," she motioned to the five guys behind her, who Aen began to restrain with ropes as they attempted to kowtow.

"Tell them to act as they normally would," Aen said, "Else they really might build a shrine dedicated to you."

"You've got to be kidding right," she said.

"Just do it," Aen said irritably as one of the guys attempted to bite his hand off, "Before I decide that they're dead meat."

"Ok," Lia said, then addressed the five guys, "I want you guys to act like you normally do, ok?"

"Yes mistress," they said in a really creepy voice, well it was creepy sounding to Lia's ears. But at least they started to act normal and not like love possessed or obsessed individuals.

"That wasn't so bad," Aen said.

"I don't think I'll be using _that_ for a while, or ever again," Lia said, which Silena heard.

"What do you mean by '_that_'?" she asked her.

"He," Lia pointed at Aen, "Taught me how to access the power I got from mom, which turned those guys' brains to mush."

"Cool, could you teach me?" she asked, not that she needed the power at all for that matter with the way she was acting or acted sometimes.

"Uhm...I don't know," Lia said.

"Don't tell her about _that_ hint," Aen said, as he walked past her, then simply vanished and reappeared beside Percy, "Congratulations on being determined. Good luck with the future."

"Uh, thanks...um...I didn't catch your name," Percy said.

"The name's Aen," Aen said, and shook Percy's hand, "I'll be seeing you around. Bye."

As he walked away, really walked this time, Percy walked after him, and grabbed his arm for some reason.

"Where are you going?" Percy asked.

"Home," Aen replied, "I'm not a camper, I'm not even a half-blood. So I'll be seeing you around, good luck on your quest," he waved as he walked away, his clothes changing into a business suit as he walked, like magic, he had to go to some business meeting that his dad mentally told him about since he wasn't so busy anymore.

'_Quest?_' was Percy's only puzzling thought, but something also told him to inform Airlia that her friend was leaving camp.

"He's leaving camp? Without even saying goodbye? I don't believe you," Lia told Percy, and pushed passed him to chase after Aen, with Silena, and rest of Aphrodite's Cabin following her. She managed to catch up with Aen as he was about to pass the property line.

"You're going to leave without even telling me?" Lia grabbed his arm, and spun him around, "Explain, now."

"I'm just going home," he said, "Why say goodbye, when I know that I'll see you again. I also need to speak to my sister about you staying with her come fall."

"Huh? I don't get it, you're leaving, so you have to say goodbye," she said.

"It's not like I won't come back," he said, "Though I do have a question for you."

"What is it?" she asked while at the same time feeling her face start to heat up.

"Would you be willing to share me, if I were to ask you to be my girlfriend?" he asked her, running his fingers through his hair a bit.

"What? I don't think I heard you right," she said.

"Would you be willing to share me?" he asked, "Eternity is forever, I'd rather ask this first instead of potentially hurting you in the future."

"Are you serious?" she asked him, "You had better not be kidding me."

"I'm serious, I'd swear on the Styx if that would help," he said, "I'll give you until the fall to decide, I'll be back by then. See you later," he waved as he walked across the property line, she ran after him after a minute or two had passed, the rest of her cabin following at a distance. When they looked over the crest of the hill, they spotted Aen getting into a limo, and watched as the limo drove off. Lia couldn't help but feel like someone was looking directly at her, but as she looked around, she didn't notice anyone actually doing that.

Aen had secretly been visiting Thalia in limbo ever since one of his Dad's weird friends came over unexpectedly, it was a secret he kept from his dad. He had also asked her the same question, one which she had yet to answer, though it was a bit weird since she was still technically a tree.

"How was camp?" Thanos asked his son once they were on their way back to NYC.

"It was ok," he said, "Is pink a natural hair color?"

"I think...why?" Thanos said, "Oh, and I know that you've been availing of my cousin's information for the past few years. Really, I can't believe how impatient you are sometimes."

"You knew?" Aen asked surprised.

"Of course I knew," Thanos said, "I can be omniscient when I want to be."

"Damn, I thought it really was a secret between us," Aen said, "So...now what?"

"I'm not going to punish you or anything like that, that's your mom's job," Thanos said, "I'm the fun type of guy, you already asked my permission about doing stupid stuff. You're on your own when you explain to your mother why you have two girlfriends."

"But I don't have even one girlfriend," Aen said, "They haven't answered my first question yet."

"I'm sure they'll both accept the fact that you've got a big heart," Thanos said.

"Whatever Dad," Aen said, "You just find the thought of my potentially forming a harem as hot."

"Heh, I wouldn't mind having more of your mom," Thanos then giggled pervertedly, the kind of giggling that those guys that read that orange book do.

"I did not need that image in my mind! Gah! Dad!" Aen shouted.

"Its your own fault," Thanos said, "You're dealing with God, and when you fight with God, you lose. Every time."

"That's so mean, Dad," Aen said.

"Stop whining," Thanos said, "Its irritating."

"But Da~ad!" Aen said.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works, like the anime Hellsing. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: AU.

"*"

"*"

**Torchlight**

"*"

"*"

_**chapter seven**_

"_*"_

"_*"_

When Aen returned to Camp Half-Blood, he congratulated Percy on a job well done. He had heard all about the success of the quest from Eris, who had been keeping tabs on the demigod as a favor to her uncle. He brought along with him Gelio, since Rose had given her approval for her granddaughter to stay with her for the school year, she even offered to pay for the girl's tuition at a local school. She finally got to spoil a grandchild, she was so happy. Gelio was too, since he got to have someone else around for a longer period of time as compared to the visit of his Uncle Aen.

When Aen was done with bestowing his congratulations, he made Gelio appear out of thin air, he was simply under an illusion. Boy were the people surprised to see a little kid at camp. The camp hadn't ever played host to one so young before.

"Hey, who're you?" Annabeth approached the little boy and asked.

"I'm Gelio," the boy said, then addressed his uncle, "Uncle, are we going to visit that girl you were talking about now?"

"First we go say 'hello' to Chiron," Aen said, "Good day to you Annabeth," he led his nephew to the Big House, some of the campers following his trench coat wearing for, as well as the kid in a purple jumpsuit.

Chiron was playing pinocle with Mr D in the Big House, along with the Stoll brothers of Hermes' Cabin. That was how Aen found them, as he sat near them waiting for their game to end.

"Hello Chiron," Aen greeted once they were done with their game, "'Lo Bacchus."

"So you have returned, and brought a new camper with you," Chiron said.

"I'm not a half-blood horse-man," Gelio stated, while crossing his arms over his chest.

"Then what are you, young man?" Chiron inquired, Mr D too wanted to hear the answer.

"I'm...Hmm..." Gelio said adopting a thinking pose, "Uncle?"

"Didn't granpa already tell you?" Aen said rolling his eyes.

"Fine," Gelio said, "I'm Gelio, and granpa said that we'll be sure what I am when I turn eleven."

"Then how are you so sure that you're not a half-blood?" Mr D asked.

"Cause 'lotho told me so," Gelio said.

"Lotho?" Chiron asked, "Who's that?"

"He means Clotho," Aen said.

"You've spoken to the Fates, my boy?" Chiron asked.

"I dunno," Gelio said, "'Lotho just told me I'm not a demigod."

"You have quite the vocabulary for a kid, Lionel" Mr D said.

"Whoa! Uncle was right!" Gelio said.

"Huh? Right about what?" Mr D asked.

"That you know about names having power and all that!" Gelio said excitedly, "You are so cool! Just like uncle!"

"Eh?" Mr D really didn't know how to react to such a proclamation from one so young, "Did he just say I was 'cool'?"

"He sure did," Aen said, "Gelio's like that. Come on Gel, we've got an Aph to pick up."

"What do mean by you've got an Aph to pick up?" Mr D asked.

"Airlia Johnson shall be spending the school year with Gelio and his mother," Aen said, "You're welcome to visit if you want, just so long as you swear by the Styx not to reveal our secrets."

"What sorts of secrets are these?" Mr D asked, "Are they harmful to Olympus?"

"I'm not really sure about that, I guess our threat level would really be up to the Olympus Lord," Aen replied, "Though we don't really want to have to cause trouble with Olympus."

"Good enough for me," Mr D said, "I swear by the Styx that I shall not reveal what secrets you have to those that you do not wish to know about them."

"Good," Aen said, "I trust that, you, Chiron shall not say anything about this."

"Very well," Chiron said, "I too swear."

"Good, good," Aen said, "Then I hope to see you in LA sometime in the year."

"We'll visit," Mr D said, "Do you have an address?"

"To get to my sister's place, all you've got to do to get there is ask Gaea where her youngest sister lives," Aen said, then smiled, "Come Gelio."

"Coming uncle," Gelio said, as he followed his uncle out of the Big House.

"Well that proves my theory correct," Chiron said.

"What theory?" Mr D asked the centaur.

"About his parentage," Chiron said, "Aen is the youngest unknown son of Chaos."

"That would make him..." Mr D shuddered to think of the power Aen must be holding back, "I had never really thought much about what there was before Uranus..."

"Same as I," Chiron said, "Well, I guess now we'll get to see how this part of our rather large family acts, eh."

"Indeed," Mr D said.

"*"

The way to Aphrodite's Cabin was one with many people on the way, most of whom had heard about Aen's question before leaving. Some of them suspected that Gelio was his kid, which would explain the question, but there were those that knew better like Annabeth and Percy, who had just completed their first quest together.

Of course word had managed to reach Aphrodite's Cabin before Aen started walking toward it, and so the whole cabin waited for his arrival, with Silena and Airlia at the front of the group, she even had her things with her.

"Yo," Aen said in greeting, "So, Lia, you got an answer for me?"

"Can I have more time?" she asked him.

"Sure thing, princess," he said, then pushed Gelio a little, "This here's Gelio, he's my sister's kid. You might have to play babysitter for him sometimes."

"Nice to meet you Gelio," she cheerfully said, then knelt in front of the child, "I'm Lia."

"She's nice," Gelio said facing his uncle, "Mom'll like her."

"I'm not the one you should be saying that to," Aen stated.

"Eh?" Gelio said.

"Cute kid," Lia said standing, "I don't mind, I still heard what he said."

"Used your power lately?" Aen asked.

"No," she said, "So...do we go now? I'm a bit excited."

"Sure thing," he said, and picked up her things, and did as his dad would do and shrunk them and placed them in his pocket, "C'mon Gel, time to go say 'hi' to the other Lia, then go home."

"Other 'Lia'?" Lia asked.

"Yeah," Aen said as he walked with her in the direction of the property line, "Thalia Grace, the Pine Tree."

"You can't be serious," she said as they walked.

"I found a way to speak with her a while a go," he said, "If you feel like someone's glaring at you, that would be her."

"But she's dead," Lia said.

"She was turned into a tree wasn't she," Aen said.

"Well, yeah," she said.

"Then she's very much alive," he said.

When they reached the hill, Airlia did indeed feel someone's eyes on her, which she found a little creepy. She tried to ignore the feeling, and continued to follow Aen down the hill and to the awaiting limo, the exact same one he had used to leave the camp.

"Isn't this the same limo you used last time," Lia asked before getting into the car.

"Yeah," Aen said, "You might want to say hello to the driver."

"Why?" she asked.

"My Dad's the driver," he said, "You'll be staying with us for a night before we head on over to my sister's place, hope you don't mind."

"I...I d-don't mind a-at all," she said, and hesitantly got into the car, followed by Gelio, then Aen.

The first few minutes of the ride to Thanos' house was spent in silence as Airlia was a bit embarrassed to meet with Aen's father, and that he was driving them. There was also the fact that it was her first time riding a limo in her life, it was a rather special situation she had found herself in.

"So..." Thanos said, in an attempt to break the ice, "Why's it so quiet back there?"

"She's shy," Gelio told his grandpa.

"I can tell," Thanos said, "Aen, enough time has passed, introduce us before I make you walk."

"Airlia Johnson, I'd like to introduce my father Thanos," Aen said, motioning for where Thanos sat as driver, "Dad, this lovely young lady is Airlia Johnson, she's Aph's daughter."

"Nice to meet you," Thanos said, "Have you given my son an answer?"

"He knows about that?" Lia asked Aen.

"Yeah..." Aen admitted, "He can be omniscient when he wants to be."

"I don't need to be omniscient to hear you talking back there," Thanos said as he continued to drive while Gelio giggles cutely.

They reached the house in no time at all after the brief conversation, Mona was waiting impatiently for their arrival at the door, Nyx sitting on the porch in jeans and a purple t-shirt.

"So, are you a couple now?" Nyx asked her brother as Aen got out of the car, holding open the door for Gelio and Airlia. The girl blushed crimson upon hearing the question, while Aen coughed into his hand.

"Nope," he said after a short while, "She needs more time to decide."

"You need another reminder?" Thanos asked as he too got out of the car, transforming it into a Bentley.

"Ah, no," Aen said, "Uhm, Nyx, Mom, meet Airlia Johnson...Airlia, Mom and my sister Nyx."

"Nice to meet you Airlia," Nyx said, then gave her a once over, "Well, I can safely say you inherited quite a bit from Aph...though...I think you got your height from Rose."

"You have such nice hair dear," Mona told her, "Its nice to finally meet you, Aen has told us quite a bit about you."

"T-Thank you ma'am," Lia said, "N-Nice to meet you two too."

"Well, get into the house," Mona said, "Aen take her thing to the guest bedroom, the same one Nyx is using."

"Yes mother," he said, and walked into the house, holding open the door until the girls had entered, followed by Gelio, and Thanos simply apparated into the house. He led Lia up the stairs and to the room that she would be using for the night, then gave her the grand tour of the house that the children of the Thanos and Monaxia were born in and grew up in.

While Aen did that, Nyx was able to speak with her parents in the kitchen, they still didn't have a real dinning room, as Thanos didn't think it was necessary since he could enlarge rooms at will anyway, he didn't even need to use his god powers for that since he still had his magic in him, something which his children had inherited, and one of his descendants had inherited a lot of.

"Kronos stirs," Nyx stated, "Tart said so himself, when last I spoke with him, in secret of course, it would not do for any of the visible sides to know of our continued existence in the greater scheme of things."

"I already know this," Thanos said, "Do you have anything else to report dear daughter?"

"With the rising threat of the a possible reawakening and resurrection of Kronos, the Olympians are facing some political and civil problems," Nyx said, "The minor gods are being courted by both sides of the conflict. Typhon is thinking of taking a side as well, even though you have reemerged. The former neutrals, and some of the Olympian allies are thinking of turning their backs on Olympus, and siding with the Kronos."

"What do the Fates have to say about the upcoming conflict?" Mona asked her daughter, she really didn't like conflicts, but knew that she had a responsibility to her creations.

"My daughters have hinted to me about there being two outcome already decided for the world," Nyx said, "But they also said that they had a feeling that a wrench or two could be thrown into their plans."

"I know of the wrenches that they speak of," Thanos said, "I shall not request for things to be altered too much, some form of stability needs to remain, but I shall have a few things changed...the fewer lives lost the better, though I am aware that there are some things that even I can't change the outcome of."

"Father?" Nyx said, a little bit worried.

"There are simply too many variables in the coming conflict, for even one such as I to cover them all," Thanos said, "There will be deaths, that is unavoidable. Sometimes I really want to kill the One that created those _rules_."

"I thought that you were Supreme?" Mona asked her husband, "That you make the rules and such."

"While that may be true," Thanos said, "There is still a set that even I must follow, it has something to do with my cousins as I told you once, you've even met one of them. Thanatos has met one of them. If I do not follow, then there would be nothing."

"What are these rules?" Nyx asked intrigued.

"I am forbidden to say, my immortal soul and very existence, along with all of yours is on the line when it comes to voicing the contents of that rule book," Thanos said, "But I digress, we have strayed from our topic of discussion."

"Yes, I apologize," Nyx said.

"As do I, dear," Mona said.

"It's alright," Thanos said, "What of the monsters and the half-bloods?"

"Eris says that the half-bloods are too divided," Nyx reported, "Just as their parents have some bones to pick with Olympus, so do these children. There is also the great or deep seeded dislike that some half-bloods hide in their hearts for the gods of Olympus to worry about."

"I see," Thanos said, getting up he paced for a bit, then added, "What a messed up family we have."

"Not this again," Mona said, stood up, and pulled him back to his seat, "Enough with your lamentation. What can we do to ease the conflict?"

"Nothing really," Thanos said, "There is nothing we can do to rid the world of the possibility of this conflict."

"Then what is the point of this discussion?" Mona asked.

"I am trying to see the bigger picture," he said, "To be able to formulate a plan on how to deal with the up coming situation. Nyx, inform Tart to locate those that have gone myth on us."

"Myth?" Nyx asked, "I don't understand."

"Immortals live forever, and cannot die or be killed," Thanos said, "But it is possible for them to fade, to cease existing...but that is only half true. They still continue to exist in the memories of all the lives that they had touched, directly and indirectly. The most common reason as to why they had gone myth on us, faded, was due to being neglected, forgotten, ignored, having lost purpose."

"What does this have to do with the up coming conflict?" Mona asked.

"Nothing really," Thanos said, "Just the aftermath, there must always be a villain for there to be a hero."

"Are you saying that those that have gone myth can be brought back?" Nyx asked disbelievingly.

"They may," Thanos said, "Though, only I am able to perform such a task."

"Anything else father?" Nyx asked, preparing to go up stairs and talk to her brother's possible girlfriend.

"Ask Erebus to locate the door to the pocket of discarded souls," Thanos said, "And don't bother asking me what that is, Erebus will know what I'm talking about."

"Alright," she said, "You know, I kind of feel like Iris right now."

"Meeting adjourned," Mona said, and stood up to begin preparations for dinner, while Thanos went out front to do some gardening.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works, like the anime Hellsing. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: AU.

"*"

"*"

**Torchlight**

"*"

"*"

_**chapter eight**_

"_*"_

"_*"_

"Are you sure its alright for me to stay here for a few more nights?" Airlia asked.

"It's fine," Aen said, sitting on the bed Airlia was given to use during her stay, "Rose will be coming by tomorrow anyway, something about not thinking that LA was the best place to start the school year or something like that."

"What does your sister do anyway?" Airlia asked.

"Ah..well...she teaches art classes," Aen said, "Although its not a daily thing, she sometimes also spends her time in a library...and she models sometimes, which is probably how she attracted the attention of two gods."

"Two gods? I didn't think that two gods would be interested in the same woman," Airlia said.

"Yeah," Aen said, "Zeus if the obvious first, the product of that union was your mother, and Ares, who produced Gelio. The good thing about the second union was that it brought back the family."

"Oh," Airlia said, "I think its kind of weird that you want to have a relationship with me, when my mom is your niece."

"It's fine," Aen said, "There is no real moral issue or genetic ones either. Its another one of those unexplainable things that my father cannot explain to me or anyone else for that matter."

"Oh...uhm...how much time do I have to answer your question," she asked shyly.

"You have until Thalia gets better," Aen said looking out the window, somehow the two of them could see Half-Blood hill from the house, even though it was a few miles away.

"How is that possible?" Airlia asked, due to witnessing what looked to be the impossible.

"Magic," Aen said, "Dad gets bored sometimes and makes stuff that are considered even by the gods as impossible."

"Ok, so what can we do to day?" she asked him, "I don't see myself cooped up in this house for the rest of the day, since school doesn't start for another week or two."

"We could go watch a movie or play at the arcade if you want," Aen said, standing up, "How about it princess, your choice."

"A movie sounds nice," she said, "It kind of sounds so normal compared to my usual day to day activities."

"Yeah," Aen said, "Dad complains about not being normal all the time, guess we could rub this in his face."

"That's mean," she said, "I'll meet you downstairs, so get out of the room, I need to change."

"Need any help?" Aen teased.

"Aeneas! Get down here!" Mona shouted from the kitchen, "Help me wash the dishes! Stop bothering the poor girl!"

"Yipes! Coming Mom!" Aen shouted back, then turned back his attention to Airlia, "Looks like I won't be able to help you...hehe..."

So he left her to get dressed as well as to help his mom wash the dishes, they had just had lunch that day, and any meal had a pile of unwashed things whenever Mona prepared the meal. She still had problems when it came to the kitchen. The one reason she tried her hand at such a chore and delicate art, was that she wanted her husband to be proud of her accomplishment.

Rose didn't really have a social life, not even with the advantages which her child brought for her. She didn't go out and date, she didn't really like doing that, nor did she even know how to do that. The only experiences with love that she had had were with those two gods, with Zeus and Ares, they were probably the only two. It was a bit weird how they had gone about their courtship of her. Zeus had simply caught her swimming in the sea one day, scaring away any witnesses to his wooing as he did not want to get caught by his wife. There was some truth to Aphrodite bring born from the foam of the sea, not that it really was foam. Rose wasn't living in LA then.

Ares on the other hand had met Rose at a bar that she had decided to visit, she hadn't gone to a bar in ages and simply decided to up and go visit one. One of the things that Zeus and Ares had in common, aside from their apparent strength and physique was their prowess in the sack. Its what attracted her to them, which was also why, instead of beating them back, she let them have their way with her, resulting in two pregnancies.

She had decided to stay with her parents for a week before taking back her son, and bringing along Airlia, whom her dear youngest brother had asked her to house. The girl being her granddaughter was a really good bonus, she would love to have her other granddaughters over, but that was asking a little bit too much. Sometimes she forgot just who her father was, and what he would and could do for her if only she would ask. Just as he would do for any of his children, and some of his grandchildren, the ones after that...it would really depend on his mood.

"I'm home!" Rose shouted from just inside the front door, the next day. She was wearing a sundress, and a straw hat. It was not something one would expect anywhere near NYC, but there she was in one, she was also wearing flip flops.

"Mama!" Gelio shouted as he raced down the stairs in his pajamas, it was early in the morning, the sun's rays had only just begun to rise over the horizon.

"Gyah!" Aen fell out of bed since Gelio had asked to sleep in his room with him, "Ouch!"

"Sorry uncle!" Gelio shouted from downstairs while his mother smothered him with her loving embrace.

"Keep it down!" Thanos shouted from the couch, he was still half asleep, Mona was sleeping on him, curled up like a cat...cat-girl more like, complete with ears and tail, and paw-mittens, she was at least clothed.

"Sorry dad!" Rose said, while she walked with Gelio to the kitchen so that they could prepare breakfast for the family, along with any other members that would or might arrive.

Nyx was awoken by the noise made by the shouting people, and as he got out of bed and entered the bathroom for her morning routine, she wondered how in the world Airlia could sleep through the noise. She chalked it up to Aph's thing for beauty sleep. She knew that her cousin could sleep through the most violent of storms.

Airlia would not normally have been able to have slept through all the noise generated by the other residents of the house, or the noise generated by the other new arrivals. Typhon had managed to get out a part of himself from his imprisonment, thanks in part to his grandfather who pulled out the least immortal part of him, they all had such a part, since Thanos had been mortal once, but it was so small, that it didn't really matter in the greater scheme of things. But in this way things that kept immortals prisoner, could be circumvented by such a convenient thing. The noise generated by all the current residents was astronomical, the neighbors would have heard the racket from miles around if it weren't for the privacy and silence wards placed around the property, which was also how Airlia could sleep through it all. Aen had placed one around her.

She woke up right before lunch time, the Potter family were all parked out in the sitting room of the house, it wasn't really a cottage anymore, well as far as the inside went, the outside still looked like a modest house with two floors. The family had been busily playing monopoly, a family game, one which Thanos and Gelio had to sit out, Thanos due to his luck, and Gelio due to his age. Mona was the banker.

After getting changed for the day, Airlia walked down the stairs and went for the room with the most noise, once she woke up the ward that allowed her to get lots of beauty sleep disintegrated, it was spelled to be that way. Upon entering, she noticed just how full the room was, as well as who exactly was winning the game.

"Good morning Lia!" Aen greeted her and even waved as he rolled the dice and moved safely through the board once again.

"G-Good morning," she greeted back, the first greeting got her the undivided attention of the other family members.

"Ooh! Aen, you didn't mention that you'd gotten a girl friend," Gaea teased, "She's so young too."

"Hey!" Aen said, Lia blushed crimson, as the other girls in the group, save for Rose and Mona, teased the two of them a little bit.

"Enough teasing," Thanos spoke, and the room fell into silence, "Its too early in the decade for it."

"Yes, sir," his descendants said, some running their fingers through their hair, or scratching either the back of their neck or their head, "We're sorry,"

"Mona, I'll prepare lunch," Thanos said, he stood and walked out the room, he was already in a chef's attire when he passed Airlia, "Aeneas, introductions."

"Yes sir," Aen said, and stood, then introduced Airlia to everyone that she didn't already know.

He introduced his siblings, and nephews and nieces, not only with their names, but also their relationship with him, as well as what their responsibility to the reality was. There were quite a number of them, and she nearly freaked out when she was introduced to the Fates who at the time were playing with some regular thread, using _the dreaded snippers_ while they were at it. They also looked like teens while they were doing it too, with smiles in their eyes as well as their faces. They were clearly out to scare the daughter of Aphrodite.

"Enough you three," Rose suddenly spoke before Aen could, "Stop scaring the poor girl."

"S-sorry aunty," they said, and backed away, their mother simply smirked in the background.

"Its great to finally get to meet you Airlia," Rose said, "I know we were already introduced, but my lil bro forgot to mention one one thing."

"Huh? What would that be?" Aen asked, a bit confused.

"He forgot to tell you that I'm the one you prayed to that one time," Rose said.

"I don't remember," Airlia said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"That's alright," Rose said, "Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Rose Eros Potter, nice to meet you."

"Hu-what! You're Eros!" Lia exclaimed, "I-I'm s-sorry, I didn't know."

"That's alright," Rose said, "In any case, I'll help you again if you ask for it," she then whispered, "_Except if its to get my brother out of his harem idea._"

"Err, ok...so what do I call you exactly, since well," Lia said, "You're apparently my mom's mom, and at the same time Aen's sister."

"Oh...well, just call me Rose, its simpler that way," Rose said, "I don't look like a grandma do I?"

"Not at all," Lia said, "Nice to meet you too Rose."

"Good, so let's get to know each other better," Rose said, "Aen, I'll be borrowing your potential girlfriend for the rest of the day," she then ushered Lia out of the room, and beckoned Gelio to follow her as well, leaving Aen with the remaining members of the family.

When Rose and company were clearly beyond hearing distance, Aen and the rest fixed up the room, closed the doors, and shut the curtains of the windows. Mona was no longer in the room, it was just the children and the grandchildren left in there. They were to have their own meeting.

"I've been hearing rumors of a coup," Aen began, "Kronos is undergoing a resurrection, does anyone know anything about this?"

"Dad talked with me about it," Nyx said, "He's decided to handle it, or rather let the matter handle itself."

"Some of us here have already chosen a side in the conflict," Typhon said, "I have chosen to side with Kronos, while there seems to be a great possibility that his side shall not win, I still chose to go up against the gods, the challenge is quite inviting."

"I'd love nothing more than to have another crack at my youngest son," Uranus said, "But alas, I am even weaker than he is at the moment. I'm still recovering from my battle with him."

"You were a lousy father," Gaea scolded her son and second husband, "It served you right."

"Its so troublesome that I must do my duty," Tart said, "Else I would have let those trapped within me out long ago."

"Where would the fun in that be, father," Typhon said.

"I've seen your point," Tart said.

"Fine," Aen said, "How about the conflict that should arise after this great prophecy comes to completion?"

"Father has plans," Nyx said, "I don't know all the details yet, and he's already had Tart and Erebus do some stuff for him."

"You've got that right," Erebus said, "There's just so much endless void, its difficult to locate the space that father wants me to find. He probably already knows where it is, but wants to give us something to do with our existence."

"What are you seeking anyway?" Aen asked.

"Those that have lost their purpose...sort of," Erebus said, "Its a little bit more complicated than that, but that's the gist of things."

"Almost the same for me," Tart said.

"I really feel like Iris," Nyx said.

"You think you've been busy?" Neris said, "I've been keeping track of the son of a sea god."

"He's a good kid," Aen said, "I've spoken to him a few times."

"If you say so," Aether said.

"How many quests do those campers have in a year?" Aen wondered, "There's gotta be more than one in a single year."

"They don't have them all the time," Nemesis said, "Only when there is a need, when the gods of Mount Olympus need something done, or when there's a really big threat to the gods or the camp for that matter."

"The campers being the more or less last line of defense that the gods have, huh," Aen said, "Interesting."

"You've thought of something to make the year a little bit more interesting, little brother?" Tart asked.

"Something," Aen said, "Just a small idea."

"Let's hear it little bro," Erebus said, "I want to hear what you've cooked up."

"I was thinking that we add a little chaos of our own in the greater scheme of things," Aen said, "Are we not of the blood of Chaos herself."

"Father Order and Mother Chaos," Gaea said, "We are of their blood indeed."

"But the need for a quest...a request for it...how would we go about doing that?" Pontus asked, "I know that the Oracle of Delphi is supposed to have something prepared for the hero chosen for the quest once it has been proposed."

"There are also the obstacles that the hero must triumph over," Thanatos said, "I am not lending my services."

"We'll help with the Oracle," Lachesis volunteered her and her triplets services.

"So all that's really needed is for a plan to be thought up, a concrete one, and we'll be set to put things into motion," Atropos added.

"I just remembered something," Aen said.

"What is it?" someone asked.

"We've got an in in the camp," Aen said, "Dionysus and Chiron know part of the secret. I got dad's permission."

"It looks like we've got two parts of the plan down," Nemesis said, "We've got the minor prophecy, and the way to get the request sent, now we just have to figure out the goal of the quest as well as what obstacles to place in the way of the heroes."

"Before we continue with this planning session, I have just one request," Moros said, "Not one of Ares' kids get to participate. I'll also help with the prophecy."

"Sure thing Brother Fate," the Fates said.

"Anyone got a pen and some paper?" Aen asked.

"Are you a son of Father Order and Mother Chaos or not?" Gaea asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, right," Aen said and conjured the needed items, "Hehe, I forgot I could do that."

"Well, then," Eris said, herself pulling out a laptop with Wifi capabilities, "Let's get planning."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works, like the anime Hellsing. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: AU.

"*"

"*"

**Torchlight**

"*"

"*"

_**chapter nine**_

"_*"_

"_*"_

When the week was over, Rose, Gelio, and Airlia left for LA, the rest of the guests also left. Aen was more or less left alone in the house with parents, he really didn't mind, it was just that he still needed to find out how to convince his father to help him with one of his plans.

After a week of watching his son brooding or worrying, Thanos decided to take pity on his youngest and slammed his favorite encyclopedia on his son's head, hard. Mona slammed a frying pan in his face for that, then went back to whatever she was doing that day.

"What was that for dad?" Aen asked massaging his aching head, a bag of ice magically appearing and wrapping itself around his head as well to ease the pain, it really hurt, he even got a bump on his head.

"It was to stop your brooding," Thanos stated, "Now what seems to be the problem?"

"Well...that is to say," Aen said, "I need your help with something."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with that plan of yours?" Thanos asked as he leaned on a bookcase.

"Yeah," Aen said, as he attempted to get the bag of ice off of his head, he ended up rolling on the floor wrestling with the thing, before it let go, "What in the world did you do to that bag of ice?"

"I needed some entertainment," Thanos said, "So, what's the help you need?"

"My niece's memories," Aen said, "I know for a fact that her memories of Rose haven't all disappeared, Zeus would not risk vanishing everything just to erase my mother's memory. He must have modified her memories or at the very least kept them hidden somewhere."

"What do you ask from me, my son?" Thanos asked.

"I need those memories," Aen said, "I wish to make it possible for a second uprising, but my siblings are not aware of my other plans."

"So you want those memories," Thanos said, "What do you plan on doing with them?"

"I plan on giving them back to Aph, with something protecting her mind from being tampered with again," Aen said, "I've read some of your potions books, I am aware of a potion that protects the mind and all its memories from tampering."

"You don't seem to like your great grandnephew all that much," Thanos said, "Would you mind sharing your reasoning."

"Rose may have claimed that she was not ready to become a mother," Aen said, "But I don't think she meant it, she was a mother after all, mothers don't simply give up their children. She gave up Aph too easily in the beginning. I believe that Zeus had dome something or threatened Rose into forgetting what she was at the time, and we can't keep blaming her love for strength."

"I see your point," Thanos said, "...what indeed happened in that particular set of moments in the past seem to be hidden from me."

"The rules?" Aen asked.

"But of course," Thanos replied, "I didn't make the rules, but sometimes they can be so frustrating, especially when they are a hindrance when it comes to caring for the family."

"There's also the messed-up-ness of the family too," Aen said, "So, are you willing to help me with my reunification of Rose and Aph?"

"Of course I'll help," Thanos said, "Now you have told me that you need the memories..."

"Could you do a Kronos?" Aen asked, "Please?"

"Manipulate a god into betraying Zeus in some way?" Thanos asked, rhetorically, "Sure, I'll just have Hephaestus do it. Part of the reason why Aph cheats on Ares is because some of Rose's interactions with Aph were blocked from her mind. H also has something hidden from him, by his own father no less."

"Would that have something to do with the son overthrowing the father?" Aen asked.

"Definitely," Thanos said, "Zeus' own fear. Hephaestus is the one in that particular prophecy, but not in the same context as Kronos' own."

"Oh, so how does his go down?" Aen asked.

"I'm not telling you that," Thanos said, "But all you need to know is that Hephaestus has been unable to gather what would be needed to fulfill his own prophecy due to what Zeus has hidden from him, and Aph."

"So...about the memories?" Aen said.

"I'll get H to get them," Thanos said, "I'll feed him the knowledge that what he needs to do shall help him have better relations with his wife. Looks like you'll need to inform your prophecy makers aware of the change in plans."

"Indeed it looks that way," Aen said, "So how long, do we have? Or how soon do you think we should act?"

"The forger is on his way," Thanos said, "The device that shall contain the memories is one that resembles one of my favorite things in existence."

"You've got to be kidding me," Aen said, "You gave him the idea of making a memory retriever in the form of a flashlight."

"That's right," Thanos said, smirking a bit after ward.

"I can't believe it," Aen said, "Is there any hero that you would suggest for the task?"

"You're asking for my opinion now?" Thanos said, "I'm impressed. None of Ares' kids...hmm...Artemis has a kid...or rather she had a kid."

"What? But she vowed..." Aen said.

"If the Big Three were able to renege on their oath..." Thanos said, trailing off as it need not be completed.

"I understand," Aen said, "I honestly was not aware of that part."

"It'll make for an interesting revelation," Thanos said, "The grandson of Artemis and son of Apollo. He is of the blood of the twins, and is one of the undetermined."

"Can't be the main hero," Aen said, "It would create too many problems."

"No it wouldn't," Thanos said, "He lives most of the year with his great grandmother and grandmother whom I have been allowing to live on land. Sometimes Hera overdoes her punishments. The kid goes to the summer camp, he'll lead."

"So...how will it be made known that he should be the one to lead?" Aen asked.

"Simple," Thanos said, "The hero's name is Loki Charleson, most think of him as an undetermined son of Hermes. Leto is his legal guardian, but the Olympians refuse to believe that she is the Titan of the same name. He is good at tracking and archery, but at the same time he loves pranks. I would advise a change in the method of quest request."

"What do you suggest?" Aen asked.

"He need not be mentioned in some elaborate prophecy," Thanos said, "Just have Bacchus wonder aloud while in his vicinity what a prankster would use as a password for a map. I will make sure that Loki knows the answer, and will blurt it out, causing Bacchus to single him out, and drag him all the way to the Big House, inducing the wine god with a bit of his old insanity, he shall thrust the young hero into the attic, given the instructions of only going down once he has heard a prophecy."

"That's even more elaborate than some prophecy," Aen noted, "But I guess I'll go with that."

"Good," Thanos said.

With their conversation over and done with, Aen apparated to where his prophecy makers were, followed by all the rest that were in on the plan, to inform then of the changes in things. This plan of their was in a way a fulfillment of the prophecy that says to create one's own destiny, they were just literally making fate and destiny, parts of the plan had footnotes about it that said that they should be played by ear. Meaning Nyx would be playing Iris, while Eris did the same on two fronts.

#

It took them all a while to get things in motion, while they were in the preparation stage, someone had decided to poison Thalia's tree, which really pissed off Aen, but since he couldn't do anything about it, and since Thanos had reassured him that she would be alright, he didn't let his worry get to him.

As Aen and his closer relations were doing their own thing, Airlia was busy trying to fit in the school that Rose had enrolled her into, it was a school near where Rose held her art lessons. As a new students, her beauty gained her the attention of the the two sides of the student population, the good and the bad, the attracted to her and the ones jealous of her good looks. Aen wasn't all that happy to find out that she had had to resort to using her powers in school just to get some form of control over the situation. He almost decided to apply as a teacher there just to keep an eye out for her. What really stopped him was the fact that she was protected at the school from any manner of monster since she had Thanos' protection.

She made some new friends easily, but they were mostly boys who were impressed at her ability in sports, especially track and field. All the training she had undergone in camp had finally really paid off, so did what training she had gotten from Aen. But he one thing she really didn't enjoy doing was having to dye her hair red, since pink really looked to be an unnatural color, even though it added greatly to her appeal.

As the weeks passed by, Airlia gained a reputation from being an approachable person, to suddenly becoming an ice queen, that even the high schoolers took to calling her that. She was all bubbly and stuff when it came to the friends that she had made in the first week, but to everyone else she was as cold as ice. She even treated her entourage like lesser beings compared to her. It was of course all an act, it was better to be unattainable, since she had decided to respond positively to Aen, and accept the fact that his heart may, in the future, possibly belong to more than one girl or woman. She didn't know whether or not Aen was the jealous type, and Rose didn't know either, so she decided not to chance him getting jealous, for who knew what destruction the youngest son of Father Order and Mother Chaos could deal.

"So how was school today?" Rose asked Lia once she got back to the house, or mansion as it really looked like or was.

"It was...alright," Lia said, as she took out her school books and prepared to start doing her homework, she may not have been one of Athena's kids, but she was still rather intelligent in her own right. She had, beauty, brains, and that unattainability that caused her to be known as the Ice Queen. Her friends knew part of the reason why she acted in such a manner.

"Did you make any new friends?" Rose asked, really interested, Gelio had a lot of playmates.

"Not really, its hard when I have my act up," she said, "Could you ask Aen to come over, I want to tell him my answer."

"I'm sorry," Rose said, "But that won't be possible for a while."

"Huh, why not?" Lia asked, a bit worried that something might have happened to Aen, which while highly unlikely was still possible.

"He has some sort of project that's taking up most of his time," Rose said, "He's kind of like a project manager or something. Dad's helping him out too. Don't worry, he's fine, I'm pretty sure."

"How did you know that I was worried about him?" Lia asked Rose.

"I could read the worry on your face," Rose said, "Your mind is easily read whenever Aen is the topic of our conversations. Its kind of cute."

"Hmph," Lia responded, pouting a bit, "If you say so."

"We'll you definitely are cute," Rose said, "You really don't need to dye your hair you know. No one would mistake it as fake."

"I think I'll stick to the dye," she said, "Its makes me feel more normal."

"You sound so much like my dad," Rose said recalling the countless times that Thanos tried to be just like everyone else.

"Really?" she asked, "Aen told me that Mr Potter sometimes complains about his being not really normal."

"You can call him Thanos you know," Rose said, "Or even great grandfather...wait...daughter is me...Aph is granddaughter...yeah, great grandfather, or grandpa. He wouldn't really mind if you did."

"But I don't think it would be right to do so," she said, "I mean he doesn't seem to treat me like one of the family."

"And how does he treat us members of his immediate family?" Rose asked interested in her granddaughter's view.

"Well, I dunno," she said, "I don't really know."

"He treats you the same way he treats my nephews and nieces," Rose said, "The no teasing rule applies to myself and Gelio as well, my siblings can't tease me and Gelio, same way everyone else can't tease you and Aen."

"But...nevermind," she said, and started studying as she tried to forget the conversation, she realized, really realized exactly how weird the Potter family was. It was big and really weird, there was also a lot of incest practiced in the family, especially in the lower echelon.

While she was busy studying, Aen was busily making sure that Hephaestus didn't hide away the container of the memories of his wife in some place that the heroes would definitely not be able to retrieve it. When he was done he went on over to the Fates to give them the go ahead, which meant that Operation Nutcracker could finally commence. He named it nutcracker since Nyx and Eris wanted Hephaestus to be reminded that he had a pair.

After finally giving the signal, he decided that it would probably be a good idea to visit the camp and watch Bacchus perform his part of operation, which was the initial part of the quest, delivering the hero to the Oracle. So he disguised himself as a raven, and watched the events unfold from a branch of a tree, he did notice that his target caught sight of him, but didn't mind in the slightest.

He followed the teen and Bacchus all the way to the Big House, and once the teen went up to the attic, Aen revealed himself to the god.

"Nice acting," Aen said, "Unless you really don't like being around them."

"I am not too fond of heroes," Mr D said, "You said that there was a possibility of him and two others to not come back, and so I willingly participated. I also really do have something against heroes."

"One of the reasons being your wife," Aen said, "I understand perfectly. But I think your being bitter and harsh really helps them more than hinders them."

"Think what you will," Mr D said, "I don't really care that much about them, unless they prove themselves worthy of my respect. Who will be permitted to join Loli on his quest?"

"I leave that for you to decide," Aen said as he sensed the teen coming back down the stairs, "Gotta go."

"See you whenever," Mr D said, and looked toward the stairs where the teen was about to make his reappearance.

The young man slowly walked down the steps of the stairs looking mildly confused, it wasn't like the other heroes that had gone on quests that had puzzled or fearful or even determined faces, Loki was puzzled.

"So...tell me what was told to you," Mr D commanded of the camper who stood before him a little bit nervous.

"Recollections in silver locked away. Hidden from the light of day," Loki recited, "One shall find what is still denied. Once within the raven's claws the countdown shall again renew. A map within the path revealed. One wish shall immortality give."

"Is that all?" Mr D asked.

"Uhm...no," Loki said unconvincingly.

"I'm not Chiron, I don't really care if you succeed or not," Mr D proclaimed, "So either tell me, or I'll just assign you two companions and send you on your way."

"Uh...Lemon drops is key to victory," Loki recited, "I swear that's all, that's it!"

"Are you raising your voice at me?" Mr D said, leaking a bit of anger into his voice, his eyes were burning with an inner flame, "Cause if you are, I will gladly put you out of your misery."

"I'm sorry!" Loki said and attempted to run out of the Big House, and as far away from Bacchus as possible, but he didn't get far since the god grabbed hold of the back of his shirt, and dragged him back.

"I'm not through with you yet," Mr D said, "Now sit down."

"Yes sir," Loki said and immediately sat in the nearest chair that he could find, his ADHD working overtime fueled by the fear.

"I'm assigning Megan Morgan of Cabin ten and Stuart Mort of Cabin six to be your companions," Mr D told him, "You inform them, and leave the camp to begin your quest. Someone will wait at the bottom of the hill for you."

"Yes sir," Loki said, and was finally able to high tail it out of there.

He made his way as swift and agile as a deer to Athena's kid's cabin, and asked for Stuart Mort. He was directed to the volleyball court, as the teen was busy with a game of ball with some satyrs. He approached the court and called out his to be companion's name.

"What's up?" Stuart asked the dark brown haired, athletic built, and green eyed teen.

"Mr D assigned you to accompany me on a quest," Loki said, "I was just informed, and the prophecy is a bit weird. So pack your stuff and whatever, transport will be waiting for us at the bottom of the hill."

"Are you serious?" Stuart asked, he was a medium built teen, whose build was meant for close quarters combat, he had blue eyes and blonde hair, "Cause if this another one of your pranks Loki, I'm gonna chuck you into the forest and let the monsters eat you."

"I'm serious," Loki said, he shorter than Stuart, "So, get ready, I've got to find Megan Morgan of Cabin ten."

"Megan Morgan? Lucky us," Stuart said, since their third companion was a beauty just like her half-sisters in Cabin ten, she had dark red hair, an oval face, creamy skin, rose red lips, and emerald eyes.

"I know what you mean," Loki said, "Unfortunately I also know that she'd got quite the temper."

"Well, its your quest right," Stuart said, "You're also used to getting yelled at and stuff, so she should be a piece of cake for you."

"I guess," Loki said, "Well, gotta go."

Loki made his way back to the cabins, and slowly made his way to one of the male Aphrodite's kids, as he was a bit uneasy when it came to the girls for some reason. He asked about the whereabouts of Megan Morgan, and was told that she was having a nap, and was not to be disturbed. Loki explained that it was important, and so he was told where to find her, and to wake her at his own risk.

Upon entering her room in the cabin, Loki knew exactly why he was risking his life just being in the room, waking her up without dying a very painful death afterward was going to be rather tricky. Luckily he had mastered the art of doing stuff in the dark, also known as with one's eyes closed. So he crept near her bed, luckily when he entered the room the blanket was covering the bits that would have gotten him an instant death sentence. He gently shook her, but she ignored it, and so he had to resort to drastic measures. He pulled the sheets away from her, the sudden rush of air on her bare skin did the trick.

"Wah! Cold!" she shouted as she toppled off of the bed, hugging herself instinctively, which was a good thing, since it gave Loki enough time to wrap a neckerchief around his eyes, shielding him from the sight of her nakedness.

"S-Sorry," Loki apologized.

"Before I kill you," Megan said, "Explain why you woke me."

"Mr D assigned you as one of my two companions for a quest," Loki said.

"Why didn't you say so in the first place!" she exclaimed, and began dressing herself and packing the essentials, "Are you gonna just stand there, or are you going to pack yourself, or are you already prepared for this monumental occasion?"

"I...uh...yeah," Loki said, and beat a hasty retreat out of there feeling lucky that she had forgotten about killing him, that would have been bad for his track record.

The three campers didn't have some grand farewell as they thought they would have, but instead were ushered out of the camp by Mr D as soon as they looked to be ready for their trip. The rest of the camp would be informed of the reason for their absence later that same day, after they had already left the camp grounds.

Waiting at the bottom of the hill was indeed some form of transportation for them. Aen had reverted back to human form, and had conjured up a Bentley for the trip. He did of course make the thing's paint job kind of resemble a certain black bird. He had also remembered to change his face, he had sure that he did not look like he usually did, else his plan would possibly fail.

"Ah, you must be the ones I was assigned to drive around," Aen said, "I'm Magnus, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you Magnus," Loki said, then shook his hand, "Uhm...so...do you know where we're supposed to go?"

"Yes," Magnus said, "I know the first stop, I've been clued in by the powers that be. Put your stuff in the trunk, and get in. I'll take us there. Though I do have to warn you, the clock is ticking once again. I am well aware of how these quests are done, you have a deadline, go beyond it and you die or something similar."

"We won't die," Loki said, "I'll make sure of it."

"If you say so," Aen said, then they all piled into the car, and Aen started the engine and took off, their first destination unknown to the teens, "Oh, one more thing."

"What?" Megan asked, she sat in between the two boys.

"Don't be surprised if my car crosses the ocean," Aen said, smiling evilly, he almost began to cackle, "We're going to Northern Scotland, in a hidden area, one brimming with magic."

The three occupants of the back of the car didn't know exactly how to react to that statement and decided to stay silent for the rest of the duration of the trip. They almost died of shock when they found themselves flying over the North Atlantic. Aen decided to cackle madly when he saw their unbelieving faces.

They made it to their destination within the span of a whole week, but for some reason the three teens didn't really realize just how long they had been in the car until they arrived at a deserted looking village.

"Welcome to Hogsmeade village," Aen said stepping out of the car as well, "Time's a ticking. Mr D may not have informed you of all the details of your quest, but worry not, I know them all. So feel free to ask away."

The seemingly deserted village, was surrounded on all sides by forest, and the place itself was shrouded in mists, the three teens also noticed a medieval castle looming in the distance on one side of the village. It was a truly unwelcoming sight.

Aen led the way to one of the establishments of the village, explaining that they would be staying there for the time being, until they figured out where they needed to go next. When they were settled into their rooms, they adjourned to the first floor which was filled with tables and chairs, there was even a bar. It was a bar and eatery.

"So...what's so special about this place?" Stuart asked sitting down, "I've never heard of this place before."

"Of course you haven't," Aen said, holding up two trays of food, and set them down on the table which the three teens were facing, "This is a special place, that not even the gods are aware of exists...well except for Hecate probably."

"Why her?" Stuart asked, "There doesn't seem to be anything magical about this place."

"She is goddess of magic and the crossroads, decisions, choices, and the like," Aen said, "This place...she would probably have an inkling of it due to its history."

"And what history would that be?" Stuart asked.

"It serves no real purpose in our world," Aen explained, "It only exists as a reminder of past deeds, of the effects that isolation and being outcasts can have. This place is modeled after what was perceived as a safe haven for practitioners of the magical arts, the castle which I am sure you noticed was the house of learning. When one has distanced oneself from the rest of the world, this is the result."

"It doesn't look all that happy to me," Megan said, peering out the window, "But why would only the goddess Hecate know of this place, why only her?"

"She is in a way an outcast among the gods," Aen said, "If you would remember, she herself is a titan, the one and only titan which Zeus allowed to continue to hold a position of power, after he overthrew his father."

"So...if only Hecate knows of the place's existence, how do you know about it?" Stuart asked.

"I myself am not a god of Olympus," Aen said, "Therefore I know of the place, it is a secret hiding place of a certain treasure, one which Olympus would have hidden away as well or destroyed."

"So, we're here to find this treasure," Loki said, "And it will lead us or tell us of where we must go next?"

"Something like that," Aen said, "It won't show you exactly where to go, but server as a guide. Your quest after all is a treasure hunt, and what better guide than a..."

"MAP!" Loki said, "Cool! We get to go exploring...oh yeah, you said that you knew the details of the quest, the things that Mr D failed to mention to me. What is the goal of the quest, you said that its a treasure hunt, what are we hunting?"

"What was your prophecy? Have you shared it yet with your companions?" Aen asked, "Let us hear it first before I continue, as the words of the Oracle are keys to success."

"Recollections in silver locked away.

Hidden from the light of day.

One shall find what is still denied.

Once within the raven's claws the countdown shall again renew.

A map within the path revealed.

One wish shall immortality give.

Lemon drops is key to victory," Loki recited.

"What does it all...wait a minute," Megan said, "Magnus, your car's paint job..."

"What about it?" Aen asked, intrigued at her insight.

"It reminds me of a raven," she said, "I was thinking that that's what the fourth line was referring to, you also said something about time."

"But what about the part about claws?" Stuart wondered, "It can't be about something as obvious as that."

"I saw a raven appear before Mr D dragged me off to the Big House," Loki said, recalling that he had indeed seen such a bird, Aen in disguise.

"It looks like you haven't solved that part of the riddle yet," Aen said, "But I shall not interfere, for who am I to guess at the contents of your quest."

"So will you tell us now the details?" Loki asked.

"Something was stolen from Mount Olympus," Aen said, "A guarded secret, one which could potentially cause a lot of problems for the Olympus Lord.."

"I've heard that somewhere before," Megan said.

"Heard what?" Stuart asked her, "That something was stolen from Mount Olympus? I've heard that too, didn't Percy retrieve it?"

"Not that part, the part about the Olympus Lord," Megan said, "One of my sisters mentioned it...I just can't remember which one."

"I know who that is," Loki said, "Not he one who said it, but I know who the lord is."

"Oh? Do tell," Aen said.

"Cabin one," Loki said, "Its a rather obvious nickname. But at the same time, you haven't been afraid to use his name in previous conversation. Its a clue isn't it?"

"I'm not the ones on a quest," Aen said, "What would I know, I'm just your transportation officer and messenger."

"Could we please continue with the details," Stuart said, "I want to know more about he mission."

"Do you know of the prophecy which Zeus fears?" Aen asked.

"Yes," they said, "Its similar to the one that caused Kronos to do what he did."

"Very good," Aen said, "That which was stolen has something to do with that, indirectly speaking...Your goal is to retrieve that which was stolen, and deliver it into the hands of a nearly impartial being."

"A nearly impartial being?" Stuart said, "How is this supposed to help the gods? I don't see it as something that Olympus would condone."

"Well...that's rather complicated...sorry to say that bit of information is not for me to tell you," Aen said, thinking up an excuse on the fly.

"So...let me get this straight," Stuart said, "We have to steal something from a thief, and instead of returning it to the gods, we have to hand it over to someone else?"

"That's mission requirements summarized," Aen said, "Good luck heroes, from this moment onward, I'm just a driver, messenger, and probably some kind of quartermaster."

He then left them to their meal, and went to his car so that he might have some form of privacy to speak with some of his fellow higher powers. The first one he called was Eris just to find out the status of the other heroes. Followed by Nyx to find out about the positioning of the things that go bump in the night. They had talked about monsters and obstacles, the monster part would be provided by Tart, Gaea, Nyx, and Erebus.

"How are the brats?" Nyx asked first.

"Ok, I had a wording accident, but its alright," Aen said, "Leto's grandchild is undetermined so I'm planning on giving him something to use, he only has standard equipment so far. What have you got planned for the munchikins?"

"I borrowed dad's book, and dumped his magical creatures in the forest and the castle," Nyx said, "Though not all of them. There's a basilisk the serpent version, a cerberus smaller than the one in the underworld, gargoyles, gremlins, and a dragon."

"Interesting," Aen said, "Can Iris send messages from in here?"

"I don't think so," Nyx said, "There's not enough light for a rainbow. Anything else to report on your end?"

"Nothing, how 'bout on Olympus?" Aen asked, "Anything going on on that front?"

"The Olympus Lord doesn't suspect a thing," Nyx said, "Although lil Aph is acting a bit different, slightly different, not that noticeable, but its probably due to H not minding her as much as he usually does."

"That or she was subconsciously drawing on elements of the hidden memories," Aen said.

"Whatever the case may be," Nyx said, "Those kids are in for the ride of their lives."

"What would you suggest I give the kid?" Aen asked.

"A whole set, like that girl of yours," Nyx teased.

"That's actually a good idea," Aen said, "Mid-range combat, grandson of Artemis, and son of Apollo, long sword perhaps and a bow?"

"I don't think that would work at all," Nyx said, "I'll agree on the bow since both siblings use it, but as for a long sword, I don't think it would work."

"But the kid is good at mid-range, a long sword is perfect for that," Aen said.

"He's quick on his feet," Eris interjected suddenly, "A dagger or short sword perhaps?"

"A dagger would suit better for a hunter and an archer," Nyx said, agreeing with a suggestion.

"Artemis won't really like it," Aen said, "But I guess we'll go with a bow, quiver with unlimited arrows, and a dagger. What make?"

"Silver bow," Nyx said.

"Gold, but darkened somehow," Eris said, "Oak perhaps."

"An oaken bow," Nyx said, "How about a bow that looks to be made of oak, but in reality the wood is actually gold."

"I can make that," Aen said, "Quiver?"

"Dagger sheathe," Eris suggested, "Two in one weapon?"

"Good idea, makes things easier," Aen agreed, "Pocket knife as its hidden form. Arrows?"

"MMORPG, RO," Typhon suggested, "Its the only thing I can really enjoy when I'm out and about in the world."

"That's a lot of arrows," Eris said, "What job class are you?"

"I went for Sniper," Typhon said, "But I only did that cause it looked cool. You think the Olympians play video games?"

"We're getting off topic," Aen said, "Arrows of every make it is, then."

"Can the bow have slots? About four?" Typhon asked.

"Slots? That's going a bit far isn't it?" Eris asked.

"Not really, it ads to the uniqueness of the weapon," he said, "We give him a pack of cards as well, the cards dropped by monsters in that game I play."

"Fine," Aen said, "You make the cards, Ty."

"I've already gotten a pack of them," Ty said, "Do I send them to the kid now, or later?"

"Later," Aen said, "Its too early for them. I want to see how well he fares against this stage before handing him aid."

"If you say so," Ty said, "I'll pass them on to dad to hand over to you."

"I'll deliver them," Aen said, "I am the messenger after all."

"Of information," Ty said, "I've been reading up on Nordic lore, so which one are you pretending to be?"

"Neither of the two," Aen said, "In any case, if there is nothing else, I guess we can end our little discussion."

"Sure thing, I've got a war to participate in," Ty said, and ended his side of the conversation.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works, like the anime Hellsing. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: AU.

"*"

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**Torchlight**

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_**chapter ten**_

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"_*"_

Morning of the next day, the three heroes woke up bright and early and freshened up, and went down for breakfast, already wearing their armor and bringing their weapons. Stuart had a shield to his name, given to him by his mother as a birthday present, it wasn't anything special, it masqueraded around as a bracelet, it was indestructible. Megan had a pair of sunglasses that allowed her to see heat signatures, not really much of a thing for battle, but her mother was a bit of a perv.

Loki only had the standard issue equipment, he didn't really mind as he had his pranking supplies in his backpack, ready for anything, he was quite the trickster like his namesake, though not as malicious. They sat around the same table as the day and night before, and waited for Aen to serve their early morning meal.

They knew what they needed to find, a map, and what better place to hide a map, then at a school, so the castle was where they would go. They knew that it wasn't going to be easy, while at the same time they knew that it was only the first part of their quest.

"How was your night's rest?" Aen asked them cheerfully as if Camp Half-Blood was not about to lose its protective barriers, "Ready to go exploring and potentially get killed?"

"Why so negative so early in the morning," Loki said, "Its a bright and sunny day...or at least it is in my world."

"Loki, its dark and gloomy outside," Stuart grumbled, "I swear its as if it got even gloomier than when we arrived."

"It did actually," Aen said, "Since we arrived the monsters of the place, the protections, have woken from hibernation and are actively hunting and guarding. So, where do you plan on starting your search?"

"Why are you so interested?" Stuart inquired.

"Someone's got to know what you are doing," Aen said, "In case you don't survive, I plan on being your bard, isn't that great?"

"Not at all," Megan said, "I plan on seeing through to the end, I'm going to prove that I am not as fragile as we are perceived as being."

"We're planning on scouting out the castle," Stuart said, "We came to the conclusion that there is no way that what we are looking for is in the village. Its a special map, you said, so therefore the best place for it is within the castle."

"The most likely place is the library," Loki said, "I'm assuming that everything in there is just as preserved as the things in here."

"How should I know," Aen shrugged, of course he knew that everything was still in good condition, they were all based on his father's memories.

After they were done with breakfast, Loki requested some food be packed for them, as they might need the food during their mini-adventure. Aen complied, and gave them enough for two meals each, when they left the inn, he transformed into his raven form and flew off in search of his three younger companions.

They found the path that lead up to the castle, but they also found that the path was covered in some sort of plant, a large vine like plant that covered the ground, in fact Megan said that they were the path.

"Anyone know what that thing is?" Loki asked, looking at the brainiac of the group.

"...I...impossible," Stuart said after thinking for a minute, "It can't be real."

"Gods and monsters are real," Loki argued, "So whatever it is, is real. What is it, and how do we get past it?"

"It's called Devil's Snare, anything that gets caught in its tendrils is sure to die," Stuart said, "I read it somewhere, can't remember where exactly. Its only weakness is light, something which we don't have, and since Megan said that it is the path, killing it is out of the question."

"Looks like we'll be climbing trees," Loki said, and pulled out some rope and hooks, he then climbed up the nearest tree and hurled one rope and hook as far as he could, and when it caught, he checked to see that it was stable, he repeated the process five times.

"What do you expect us to do?" Megan asked.

"We're going to cross the sides of the path via the ropes," Loki said, "There are six lines, two for each of us. Its like a deadly obstacle course. I've measured the rope to be the length that should get us to the gate safely."

"You first," Megan said.

"Okay," he said, and after pulling his companions into the tree, he slid his way to the end using the two ropes. The two others had no other choice than to follow him, it was a rather frightening experience since the had to cross over parts of the plant whose tendrils shot up on occasion to check if there was any food nearby.

"We'll have to do that to get back out, won't we," Stuart stated the obvious, hoping that he wasn't right.

"Yup," Loki said, "Isn't it exciting."

"So what now?" Megan said, "I can't see any heat signatures aside from ours, and surprisingly really, that big plant."

"There are species of grass that are said to branch out and go on for miles," Stuart said as he looked past the gate, with the help of the ropes they managed to climb over the walls, "I think it would be possible that the grass, aside from being alive, could possibly one of the protections of this place."

"Its possible I guess," Loki said, "So...I guess, its time to see what would happen if we were to step on it."

After rummaging through his backpack, he pulled out a rubber ball, and threw it in the direction of the castle. As soon as it landed, all of the blades of grass leaned in its direction, the three thought that that was all that would happen, until they started to see movement coming from the treeline, snakes were falling from the trees and slithered their way to the ball. Upon reaching the ball they for lack of a better term dog-piled it then blew up in a spectacular fireworks display of yellow, red, green, and blue.

"Well...now we know what the grass does," Loki said, "So...Stuart, how fast would you say they were traveling, and do you think we could run across the ground without getting injured?"

"We could try," Stuart said, "But what I'd first like to know is what would happen if we were to attack one of the creatures."

"Let's find out then," Loki said then pulled out another ball and handed it over to Stuart. He then got out a mini-crossbow, and loaded it. Stuart threw the ball once he saw that Loki was ready, as he knew the prankster was good with a bow. Once the ball hit the ground, and the snakes were at a certain distance between the gate and the ball, Loki fired his bolt. When it struck, the snake simply disintegrated, the bolt remained where the snake had previously been, and some of the snakes rushed in its direction as more snakes fell from the trees of the treeline.

"At least now we know," Loki said, "So, you guys ready to jump?"

"There is no time like the present," Stuart said, "Do you have anymore balls?"

"Why?" Loki asked, "Planning on playing a prank on those things."

"Yeah," Stuart said, "While the more balls means more snakes, our chances of survival also increase by the number of stationary decoys. There is also the fact that we will be moving at a speed just a little faster than the snakes."

"I'm not all that good at running, you guys," Megan said, "Remember my cabin?"

"I'll carry you," Loki stated, and jumped down on the grass-less ground beyond the gate, it looked to have been conveniently placed there in order for trespassers to think that they had a chance. The other two jumped down as well. Loki then handed Stuart some balls, then without telling her, lifted up Megan bridal style and made a mad dash toward the open door that led into the castle, Stuart following soon after while throwing the balls in random directions away from them.

Stuart was fast, but he and Megan didn't know just how fast Loki could actually run. He had reached the stone steps that led into the castle in record time, while Stuart was still slashing his way to the steps. The young descendant of the twins pulled out once again his crossbow and helped his comrade a little with his plight, it wouldn't do to lose a friend on the first leg of the journey.

"Shit man," Stuart said, "I didn't know you could run so fast, and with a girl in your arms too."

"That was fun," said girl said, "It was like flying...sort of."

"Hehe," Loki said rubbing the back of his head, "I didn't know I could run that fast either, but I've always known that I was fast."

"In any case," Stuart said looking up at the castle, "We're almost in, you gonna check to see if there are any traps?"

"Yeah," Loki said, he then pulled out another rubber ball and threw it through the doorway, and when it landed nothing happened, "Looks like the coast is clear."

"Let's go in then," Megan said, walking in first, only to fall to her knees, "Gah!"

"What's wrong?" Stuart asked rushing to her side and pulling her out, unaffected by whatever it was.

"I d-don't know," she said, "I was just suddenly pushed down."

"I'll go in then," Loki said and strode forward, a sword in hand, he cautiously walked in, then suddenly rolled to the side, "That was close..." he then walked forward, letting his senses guide him, until he reached the ball. He picked it up and threw it further into the castle, to the fork in the path where the single corridor became three.

"Stuart!" Loki called out from the end of the hall, "Did you see where I passed?"

"Yeah!" Stuart said, and picked up Megan, and ran all the way to Loki, following the path he had walked safely on.

"Why do I keep getting carried through obstacles?" Megan asked when she was finally let down.

"Cause its faster to carry you," Loki said.

"We obviously can't just walk around and explore," Stuart said, "So what's the plan, prankster man?"

"We explore," Loki said, "Armed."

They wandered the halls of Hogwarts not knowing where the library was. They had found the many classrooms, officers, and even the Great Hall, but they were simply unable to find the library, it was as if they were blocked off from it.

The longer they stayed within the walls of the castle, the weirder things got. For example, every few feet they would hear voices of people that were not there. They would catch glimpses of robed people walking around corners, and saw portraits moving their occupants moving from frame to frame. It was quite intriguing and distracting. It was distracting to the point that when they entered a door at the end of the third floor corridor they only managed to escape the three jaws of death when Megan's cellphone rang one of the latest pop tunes.

"That was close," Loki said after exiting and locking the door of the room, "So who called you?"

"No one," Megan said, puzzled, "There isn't any signal in this place, yet it rang."

"I think its a sign that that room is not the way to go," Stuart said, "Scared the dickens outta me."

"Me too," Loki said, "We've checked almost every place in this whole damn castle...where could the library be."

"Maybe we should try asking one of those apparitions?" Megan suggested, "I mean, what have we got to lose?"

"Let's give it a go then," Loki said.

They wandered around a bit, and didn't see or hear anything after barely escaping the cerberus. They tried not to give up their search. But in the end had to, since even the gods whom they prayed to didn't seem to hear their pleas of guidance. In the end, they decided that maybe they needed some more information about the place, and their only source for the moment was their driver Magnus, but they also realized something. They were inexplicably lost, in their wanderings the castle had turned into something akin to the labyrinth.

"We're lost," Stuart noted.

"We know," Megan said.

"You think the paintings could help us?" Loki wondered aloud, as if hearing someone mention the possibility in his subconscious mind, "I wonder if they're alive...or are ghosts..."

"Why don't you try asking one," Megan said.

"Excuse me," Loki said walking up to a portrait, one that didn't look like it could move, "Could you tell or show us where the library is please?"

"INTRUDERS IN THE CASTLE!" the painting screeched instead of replying, the corridor was suddenly filled with more solid apparitions, which forced the three heroes to run in the direction that there were no apparent obstacles with the apparitions on their heels, every painting they passed screeched out the same words. They ran until the only safe place they could find that didn't have any apparent hostiles was a room. Upon entering they closed the doors, and barred it with the help of tables and chairs which they found. When they finally relaxed, Loki audibly groaned, they were in the library, and there was a giant book with teeth that was _looking_ at them hungrily.

"Well," Megan said, "We found the library."

"That's one big book," Stuart noted.

"Run," Loki said, and so they did just that, and as they ran in separate directions around the library, the floating toothed book stayed in placed as if trying to decide which morsel to go after. The three met up at one corner of the library.

When they got their breathing and heartbeat back to normal they heard a chuckling sound, and looked up to find another painting, this time it did not screech or scream, it simply chuckled. The portrait was of a messy black haired man with chestnut eyes.

"What are you laughing at?" Loki asked irritably.

"When lost, most men refuse to ask for directions out of pride," the painting said, "But you did not, good for you. Do you have any questions? I feel that I might be of some help, since fate guided you to me."

"Uh...you're not gonna call us intruders are you?" Megan asked.

"Why should I?" the painting said, "Back when I was alive I was notorious for breaking the rules. My own son even more. He broke so many rules that when he moved on he made some of his own."

"But aren't you in alive now?" Megan asked.

"No, I am but a shadow of my former self," the painting said, "I am naught but a memory, designed after one that lived a long long time ago."

"Alright then," Loki said, "When you say that you broke the rules, why exactly or what were the circumstances of the rule breaking?"

"I was a member of a group of pranksters," the painting said, "We had a map that helped us in our pranks, it usually helped us get out of a bind. But we lost in during our final year of schooling. We also had a cloak that hid us from all that would look for us."

"I'm a prankster myself," Loki said, "Its good to meet another one."

"Likewise," the painting said cheerfully, "Any other questions? Cause I noticed you had a certain hopeful look when I mentioned my map."

"We are looking for a map," Stuart said, "Loki heard a prophecy about a map guiding the way."

"There are a few maps in this library," the painting said, "But he one that I think you are searching for would not be in here."

"Oh...well...now what do we do," Loki said, "Where else would a map be stashed other than in a library."

"Well, you could try the headmaster's office," the painting suggested, "The more dangerous things are kept there."

"Thanks for the suggestion Mr Painting," Megan said.

"Your welcome miss," the painting said, "But I'm not Mr Painting, another goes by that name."

"Then what name do you go by?" Stuart asked, "I'm Stuart by the way."

"Interesting," the painting said, "Since you have given your own name, I shall tell you mine. When I was alive I went by two names, the first was James, the second was Prongs."

"So," Loki said, "I'm Loki, nice to meet you, but something is bothering me, and I think you might be able to help me."

"Alright," Prongs said, "Let's hear this problem."

"How did you keep your map a secret?" Loki asked, "I'm sure that the map was quite special when it came to pranking, it must have shown locations of people and the like. How did you keep others from seeing your secrets?"

"While I would love to say that we kept it in a secret chamber," Prongs said, "We were more ingenious, to activate the map and to deactivate it, we set passwords, ones that only pranksters would know."

"Thanks for the tip," Loki said, "I think I know the password you are talking about."

"Well you do claim to be a prankster," Prongs said, "So I guess it would be possible for you to know."

"I'm Megan," Megan introduced herself, "I have a question of my own."

"Alright," Prongs said, "I'm all ears."

"There's a giant floating book with teeth in this library," she said, "Do you know what we could do about it?"

"Giant book huh," Prongs said, "I fear that I hadn't encountered such a thing when I was alive. With teeth, you are thinking that it wants to make a snack out of you?"

"Yes," she said, "I'm thinking exactly that."

"Then I guess you'll have to destroy it," Prongs said, "That's what I would do. I think I've done similar, but I can't recall what my opponent was."

"Thanks for the help Prongs," Loki said.

"Your very much welcome, it was a welcome change meeting you here," Prongs said, "I'd say see you next time, but I have a feeling that we won't."

"Why do you say that?" Loki asked, "We know where this place is now, and we could come and visit."

"You do not know where it is," Prongs said, "There is a barrier around the land that protects it from being found, the only way you could have come here, is if you were in some way invited. I believe you were, since you are searching for something from within her walls."

"Err, if you say so," Loki said, "Well, we've got a map to find, but first a book to...destroy."

They went off in search of the book, Stuart thinking of a way to get passed the thing, as well as the apparitions that were surely waiting for them outside.

"Do you have anything wet in that backpack of yours?" Stuart asked Loki, "And how can it keep so much stuff in it?"

"I have some, what do you need it for?" Loki replied, "I got the backpack from my grandmother, she sad it was my mother's, so I don't really know where my mother got an obviously magical bag."

"Thanks for the info," Stuart said, "Is your wet thing flammable?"

"Well, aside from the water Magnus gave us, I've got some oil," Loki said, pulling out a bottle, "What do you have planned?"

"I plan on burning a book," Stuart said, "You got a lighter?"

"Yeah," Loki said and pulled one out as well, and handed both items to Stuart.

"Great," Stuart said, then explained what plan he had come up with to help them escape from the library, "Megan you're acting as bait," he said, "Loki you're in charge of keeping her safe, while I attack from behind with the oil and the lighter."

"I've got a better idea," Loki said, "You douse the thing, Megan will be the bait, and I'll make sure that the lighter forces the thing to burn, its safer for all those involved."

"Alright," Stuart said, "We'll go with that plan."

"Why do I have to be the bait?" Megan asked.

"Well, you're perfect as a damsel in distress, not only are you beautiful, but you're also the perfect for the job," Stuart said, "I'm also sure you would have problems with the other two parts of the plan."

"Fine," she said agreeing to the plan.

She made her way to the door, and made sure that the book saw her approach the doors of the library. Upon seeing her the book began to slowly float closer and closer to her. It seemed to be a bit cautious, as if expecting some form of trick to be pulled, or its spine to be rubbed or something. It was the most frightening seconds of Megan's life. She was literally helpless standing there and wishing that the boys would hurry it up.

The bottle that contain the oil was luckily made out of glass, which was why Megan dove behind the librarian's counter when she heard glass breaking. A moment later she swore she could hear roaring coming from the book, and after that she could feel an intense heat come from near by.

"Open the door!" Stuart shouted, and she saw from out of the corner of her eye Loki run up to the doors and open them, and felt him dive for her position, as the book floated past their position and into the hall.

"It's clear!" Stuart shouted, once the book was out the doors, it sped away as its pages and cover burned.

"That was intense," Loki said.

"I'm never doing that again," Megan said, and punched both boys in the gut, which not surprisingly hurt.

"At least it worked," Stuart said, "And at least there's nothing outside either, we didn't really think that plan thoroughly."

"Well, it still worked out," Loki said, "Now all we've got to do is find the headmaster's office."

"You think we could ask Prongs?" Megan said.

"I doubt it," Stuart said, "I have a feeling our meeting was only meant to be that one time."

"You'd think a place as big as this would have a map or something, with all the important places marked on it," Megan said as they were about to walk out the door, only for her to catch a glimpse of what looked like a small map, she picked it up and examined it. It looked like some kind of brochure or guide or something, but the map she found was marked, "I think I found a map..."

"Good job," Stuart and Loki said, "So...where's the entrance and the office from here? How do we get there?"

"Come on," she said, walking out of the library, her eyes glued to the map as she led the way to their destination, she noticed that the library shifted positions on the map once they left it. She also noticed that as she walked, the corridor they were in looked like they had passed in two times in the past, the third time must have been when they were being chased by those apparitions.

When they finally reached the entrance, they found themselves standing face to face with a gargoyle, it looked to be waiting for something.

"So...does that thing tell us what we've got to do first?" Loki asked Megan, who was still looking at the map.

"Well, it says we've got two choices," she said, "We either give it the password, or we fight it...for the password we've got an infinite number of tries."

"Is there a clue on that thing?" Stuart asked, "Cause if there isn't one, we may never get in with the password method."

"No clue," she said, "It says that the headmaster sets the password."

"Does it say how we can challenge it?" Loki asked, pulling something from out of his bag, they were explosives.

"Why in the world do you have that?" Stuart asked.

"Never know when something will come in handy," Loki said, "Like the time I blew up the outhouse."

"Remind me to kill him later for that," Megan told Stuart, "I got hit by the mess that time."

"OK, I'll desecrate his corpse afterward," Stuart said as he too had gotten some of the gunk on him.

"It doesn't say anything about how to challenge the thing," Megan stated, "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to blow it up," Loki said, and approached the thing.

Stuart then grabbed him all of a sudden and began to run, Megan ran as well, as the two of them noticed that the eyes of the thing began to glow red, as if it had heard Loki's intention. It did, which was why it began to run after them, intent on ending their existences before they managed to end its own.

"Not again! Never again! Die humans!" the gargoyle bellowed as he chased after the three.

"Next time you do not mention what you plan on doing to something you intend to destroy," Stuart scolded Loki as they ran.

"Let's push it out a window!" Loki said, "If the fall doesn't kill it, at least it'll buy us enough time to get into the office again."

"There!" Megan said, while pointing at a big enough window along a wall. They stopped just in front of it and waited for the monster to charge them.

"Remember to jump to the side at the last possible moment," Loki said.

When they did, they watched as the thing flew out the window, and hurtled to the ground like a rock that had been thrown out of a window. Loki didn't bother waiting to see what happened to the thing, and simply ran back the way they had come from, Megan right behind him, and Stuart taking up the rear and was making sure that nothing was following them.

Upon reaching the entrance to the office, they found a spiral staircase, and without hesitating, went up the stairs, and into the room once they were confronted by a door. Inside they found what should or would have been a typical office, there was a large mahogany desk, with a comfortable leather chair behind it, some seats and couches in some other parts of the room. It was quite a big room, that looked to be able to hold a large number of people at a single time, probably faculty and staff meetings. There were countless books lining the shelves, as well as some silver trinkets on some shelves.

Looking out one of the windows of the room, the three teens noticed that the rest of the day had vanished as if they had been running hither and tither throughout the whole day. It was even darker outside than it had been the other night, and since they had finally let most of their guard down, they finally felt the fatigue that all the running had build up, as well as the hunger of forgetting to eat the food that they had brought, luckily the things were still edible even though they had been a cooked meal.

"Looks like we'll be spending the night here, huh," Loki said, looking through the desk drawers, "Dibs on the leather chair."

"Whatever," Stuart said, "I'll take a couch, looks comfy enough."

"I'll take another couch then," Megan said, "Though I wish there were a bed.

"If I find one in one of these drawers, you can have it," Loki said as he moved on to the cabinet behind the desk, where all the silver things were found.

As he searched through the drawers and cabinets, he stumbled upon a cabinet that was actually locked, the others had been open and some of them even had a lock mechanism which were not used. Loki believed that the map might have been in the locked cabinet, and so pulled out his lock pick tools and began to see about unlocking the thing. His meticulous and focus being on the task at hand, Megan noticed what he was doing and so stirred Stuart back into wakefulness so that he could see what Loki was so busy about.

Instead of asking him what he was doing, they watched as he managed to unlock the cabinet doors and open then only to reveal some kind of silver bowl with a bunch of designs etched on its mouth. Loki brought the relatively light bowl to the desk, and after placing it on top, he peered inside having not really looked into it as he took it out of its cabinet.

"So, what's in it?" Megan asked as she and Stuart approached the table.

Instead of answering, Loki was drawn inward, and dipped his head into the thing. To him what seemed like minutes passed him by as he watched events unfold before his very eyes. It was like being in virtual reality only that one could not interact with the world that one was in, only view them as they progressed.

They were memories he noted, but the strange thing was that he could not tell whose memories they were. It was like watching those flashbacks on TV or in the movies. Where the edges were either cloudy or slightly blurred out or misty even.

Most of the memories he viewed were of events that had happened long before the world was born, in another time and place, but Loki didn't know that. He thought that the images were of the time when the place that he and his companions were in was filled with life and not the gloom that pervaded over their surroundings as it was in this day and age.

There were a number of memories, it was as if he watched another man's eyes through his own, but he couldn't tell which of the people he saw was the one that the memories belonged to. The images flashed before his eye in quick succession, they were so many that he thought that he wouldn't be able to remember them all. He also realized that the bowl with the silvery liquid was important, since it wouldn't have been left there, had it not been important, it would not have been so tempting had it not been of use.

The last thing he remembered before being ejected from the memories was the memory of a bathroom with wet floors, a sink rising up, a tunnel forming, and chamber. As well as what looked to have been a moving image on paper or parchment.

"Dude," Stuart said after pulling Loki up for some air, "What were you trying to do? Drown yourself?"

I know where the map is," Loki stated as he regained his bearings.

"Seriously?" Stuart said, "Just from attempting to drown yourself?"

"I wasn't attempting to drown myself," Loki said, "By the way, how long was I in there?"

"Not that long," Stuart said, "But your face was really in there, you didn't respond to your name so I pulled you back."

"I wasn't drowning," Loki said, "I was viewing memories, the silvery liquid are memories, I don't know whose, but the last memory I viewed was of a chamber. I think it might have been Prongs' memories, or someone related to him, since there was this kid in them that looked so much like him."

"So what does that have to do with the location of the map?" Megan asked.

"I think I caught a glimpse of the map before I was pulled out," Loki said.

"Well then, why don't we go looking for that map now?" Stuart asked.

"Can't we go looking for it after getting some rest?" Megan asked, "I want my beauty sleep."

"We'll rest for some hours, get back our strength," Loki said, "I'll take first watch."

"Good, I'm going back to sleep then," Stuart said, then as he walked back to his couch, he accidentally knocked over one of the silver things, as it fell it revealed a button, a red button.

"What does this button do?" Loki wondered aloud and pressed the button.

Curiosity killed cat or so the saying goes, good thing that Loki wasn't a cat. Once pressed the button vanished as did all the chairs in the room. Stuart groaned, Megan looked like she wanted to kill him, and Loki watched as one of the book cases moved aside to reveal a room with quite a large bed in it.

"Well, I guess I'll be sleeping on the floor," Loki said, "Meg, you can have the bed, so..." he got down on his knees as if to pray, "Please don't kill me."

"Bed? What bed?" Meg asked him.

"Behind you," Loki said, and pointed at the now revealed bed.

She looked at where he pointed and made her way to the bed, it really was big enough to fit around five people.

"Well, I guess you guys could share it with me," she said, "But no funny business, got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Loki said, saluting even.

"Crystal!" Stuart said, "Dibs on the right side!"

"I'll take the left," Meg said, "I don't plan on being sandwiched between two boys."

"Guess, I'm in the middle," Loki said.

"Which means if I feel anything or see things that are not supposed to be in certain places when I wake up, I know who to brutally murder," Meg said grinning evilly.

"*"

When they woke the next morning, Loki was on the floor, his head was on his backpack, while his two companions were tangled up in the sheets of the bed, Meg holding Stuart in a headlock of some sort, while the latter didn't seem to mind.

"I seem to remember you saying something about things being in certain places," Stuart said before forcibly disengaging himself from Meg's grasp.

"I'm sorry," she said, getting out of bed as well, she then tripped on Loki, and landed on him.

"Please get off," Loki said, but his words were a little muffled as he was under her.

After she got off him, she pushed the two males away from the secret chamber within the headmaster's office so that she could change out of her sleep clothes and back into her work gear, which was what armor she had along with regular everyday clothes. The two boys followed her example and got changed as well.

Once they were ready to depart from the office, Megan stopped and look at the window, sitting on the sill was a raven, Aen had decided that perhaps for the next task Loki could use some new tools as well as his two comrades. Rose had sent something for her other granddaughter, and Eris had sent something for the son of Athena as well.

"A raven," she said, and her two companions turned to look in the direction she was looking at.

"_One would think that you would be on your guards especially considering that you are in unfamiliar territory_," Aen said in whisper, the kind of whisper that they could still hear, it was as if his words traveled on the winds, even when there was no actual wind, "_But I guess I thought too highly of you demigods. But I digress, higher powers than the three of you have decided that in order for you to continue your task, a task which they are unable to perform, you shall need better equipment than the simple standards that that camp has been able to provide. On the headmaster's desk are three things, one for each of you, gifts._"

"What are you?...more importantly...Who are you?" Loki questioned, as Stuart walked over to the desk to inspect what had been placed there.

"_I am Huginn and Muninn,_" Aen introduced himself, "_I whisper into the ears of Odin everything I see and hear that he may know all in the world. I am as Hermes, a messenger. Time is ticking little heroes, turn back the hands, lest all be for naught_," he then flew off, leaving them alone in the room with his gifts.

"For some reason, I don't think that raven really was the two of Norse myth," Stuart said, "Plus, he left us gifts. A pocket knife, a jacket, and a dark red belt."

"Whose is whose?" Loki wondered, "Stu?"

"I'll take the jacket, a pocket knife doesn't go with a shield," he said and picked up the jacket and wore it, as he zipped it up he found that there was something sticking out of a pocket, '_Protection from all physical harm directed at the torso...does not have an alternate form._'

"So what does the paper say?" Meg asked him.

"Protection, like the curse of Achilles, except only for the torso," Stu said, "What're you gonna pick?"

"The belt," she said, picked it up and wore it around her waist, it then morphed into a mythril bodysuit that covered every inch of her skin, "Whoa, this thing feels great."

"Do you know what it does?" Loki asked picking up the knife and examined it.

"I don't know," she said, then heard a voice whisper into her mind, so she said what she had learned, "I heard a whisper in my mind...its has two abilities, the first is protection, I'm not invulnerable, but it allows me to move faster as if I were in water or dancing or something like that...I'm more flexible, and my reflexes are heightened. The other thing that it allows me to do is that it amplifies my inner power."

"Like what that one sister of yours did after Percy joined camp?" Stu asked.

"I would guess so," she said, "Though I don't really see how the second ability should help, and I also know for a fact that I didn't get this gift from my mother. So Loki, what does your thing do?"

'_Loki Charleson, I know you can hear me, this voice that speaks to your very soul_' Thanos spoke to him telepathically, '_My son has chosen you as the hero who shall bring about a kind of change, one that the gods of Mount Olympus has failed to perform. They have forgotten their roots, and through your quest, a cascade of events shall take place to rectify their ignorance of their own origins._'

"Huh? Who..?" Loki said, then noticed that his friends were stock still, he felt as if he stood right outside of time, "_What is going on..._" he wondered in a whisper.

'_By now you have noticed that you have been pulled out of the time stream, this has been done in order for you not to perish in the manner than mortals are fond to do when in the presence of a higher power's truer form,_' Thanos explained, '_In your hands you hold the tools to survive and fulfill a destiny of your choosing as you swim through the paths laid out before you. Each task set before you heroes each has a purpose, not for just for the good of Olympus, but for he good of the world._'

"You still haven't answered, who are you?" Loki asked.

'_I am the salvation of this reality, had I not come nothing would have happened, it would have fallen far deeper into despair and withered away into nothingness,_' Thanos said, '_There are much secrets that the gods are each keeping. Smiles and frowns, are merely tools to hide these secrets. The Olympus Lord keeping the most, the others keep them due to the ignorance and forgetfulness of their leader, as well as his failings._'

"What does all that have to do with me? Mr D wouldn't have sent me on this quest, unless it was the will of the gods," Loki argued.

'_Bacchus sent you on this quest...no...this journey as even he wishes for change. He knows a fraction of the secret, of that which has been forgotten by the primary family,_' Thanos said, '_Retrieve the key of the forgotten past, he that calls himself Huginn and Muninn will rewind the hands._'

"My knife, what does it do?" Loki asked.

'_With but a thought it can change,_' Thanos explained what Aen could not lest he compromise his position, '_Two weapons, a dagger whose length can reach up to the length of a short sword, and a bow with the __sheath as its quiver. Arrows unlimited with strength and weaknesses for any occasion. Use them well. Good luck on your hunt, young son of silver and gold._'

"Wait!" Loki said, but he was thrust back into time, where his friends looked at him as if he were crazy for shouting that word for no apparent, to them, reason.

"We're just waiting for you to tell us what you're gift does," Stu said, "We're not leaving without you anyway."

"Damn him," Loki said frustrated, "I wasn't telling you to wait, it was the voice."

"What voice?" Meg asked.

"The one who explained to me what my knife does," he said, "He explained a bunch of stuff about the quest too."

"What about the quest, who was it?" Stu asked.

"He claimed to have been the salvation of reality or something to that effect," Loki said, "That which we seek is the key to change, as well as to what has been forgotten and hidden away. The lies of Olympus shall be revealed, and the truth brought to light.." he then had an idea, "Stu, gather the liquid from the bowl there are empty vials you can put them in, they are not ours to take, but the bowl might come in handy."

"Alright," Stu said and proceeded with his task, "Where do I put the bowl?"

"In my bag," Loki said, "It's like those inventories in those video games, unlimited space for an unlimited number of items."

"Got it," Stu said.

"My knife has two capabilities," Loki said, "It allows for close range and long range combat, with its ability to turn into a dagger or short sword to a bow whose quiver is the sheath."

"Weapons of a hunter," Meg noted, "But your godly parent is your father, so you can't be a kid of Artemis."

"The gifts aren't from any of the Olympians," Loki said, "The voice said as much, it can only have come from a titan or whatever the ones before them were called."

"Not even I know what that is," Stu said having packed the bowl into Loki's pack, "So where do we go from here, Loki?"

"To...a girl's bathroom," Loki said.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works, like the anime Hellsing. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: AU.

"*"

"*"

**Torchlight**

"*"

"*"

_**chapter eleven**_

"_*"_

"_*"_

As they made their way to their girl's bathroom destination they managed not to encounter anything that wished them harm, which was in itself a bad thing. Since nothing worthwhile was ever really easy or so they believed. They had bad feeling about their situation, and yet they pushed onward toward their goal. Upon reaching it they really, really, believed that something was bound to either go wrong, or they were about to find themselves in a whole new world of shit.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Stu asked, "I'm all for entering a girl's restroom and all that, but the lack of resistance in getting here really does not agree with my survival instincts."

"Are you just saying that due to the fact that if this really isn't the place we have to go I will beat the crap out of the two of you," Meg said, "Or is it because the lack of hostiles really does bother you as much as it bothers me."

"This is the place," Loki said, "I'm sure of it."

"How can you be so sure?" Stu asked, looking around for some kind of sign.

"In the memory, the restroom had a tendency to flood," Loki explained, "The floor we are standing on is wet," to prove his point he knelt down and touched the floor, stood back up and touched his friends with his wet hand, "See."

"Eww," Stu said grossed out, while Meg agreed with him, for who knew where that water came from.

Loki entered first, it wasn't the time to act like a gentleman in the sense of saying that ladies should go first. Upon entering he found that the restroom did indeed look like the one he had seen in the memory, except that this one felt different, as if it was missing some kind of vital element which he couldn't figure out. He chose not to voice his concern as he didn't want Meg to beat the tar out of him.

"I'm going to look around," Stu said, and went off to peek into the stalls, while Meg followed him to make sure that he didn't do something perverted while snooping around in the place that males were not meant or supposed to tread for the matter.

While his friends snooped around, Loki looked intently at the sinks, searching for some small carving of a coiled serpent hidden on one of the sinks in. He looked intently at each one until he found what he was looking for. He tried the tap and found that it was broken, and tried the others to find out that they worked. Since he had found what he was looking for, he did something which caused his friends to return to his side and look at him funny. He had heard it clearly in his memory, and felt that somehow he knew that he could speak the password. So he tried and tried, until he got it right, the whole time he received looks or bewilderment from his companions.

As the sinks began to rise, and the restroom itself began to change, he had his knife transform into a short sword, and held it in a reverse grip in one hand, and assumed a defensive position, his friends copying his actions. They were all unsure as to what they would find, as to what would appear once the room settled into place. It was always a good thing to be careful, and it was a good thing that they were.

Once the room finished rearranging themselves, from out of the hole in the floor where the sinks used to be, were seven serpentine heads with slitted yellow eyes, rows and rows of sharper than shark teeth teeth. They knew what it was upon seeing, not the number of heads, but the simply fact that all the heads looked the same and seemed to defer to a single central head in the mass of necks.

"Well," Stu said, "I guess I got my wish."

"Take cover!" Loki said, and grabbed his two friends and dragged them to the farthest stall away from the hole in the floor with the worm like heads of the hydra, it seemed as if Nyx and the rest had added a few more surprises into the mix of monsters that the castle itself held.

"Now what? Was there a hydra in the memory you viewed?" Stu said in mild panic as he shook Loki while holding onto his comrade's shoulders.

"I didn't see that thing," Loki said, "It's probably a new addition to the protections of the chamber where the map was kept in."

"What are you not telling us?" Meg demanded, "We deserve to know what more dangers lay ahead of us."

"Well...there's supposedly supposed to be an eighty foot long basilisk before the actual chamber," Loki hesitantly said, "It's of the serpent kind."

"And you didn't think it was important enough to tell us before hand?" Stu said, shaking him a lot more frustratedly, "We could get killed!"

"Just the fact that we are beyond the protective barriers of Camp already means that we've more or less died as it is," Loki said, "Any ways, Stu, how do we beat this hydra?"

"We could cut off its heads, until it suffocates itself," Meg said, the two boys simply stared at her, "What?"

"You want there to be more of the things?" Loki questioned, "What if it doesn't choke on itself? What if it gets loose?"

"Then we just run and hope for the best," Meg said, "Aren't you boys supposed to be the ones thinking of these dangerous things that need to be done?"

"Well, we're not thinking of how to make our situation worse," Loki said.

"But she does have a good idea," Stu said, "We could try and do what Hercules did, and seal the necks shut with fire before the things can regenerate."

"What if the thing is the actual," Loki said, "I repeat, THE, actual Hydra? The one with an immortal head?"

"Let's just cut the thing up," Stu said, "I'll even do the cutting."

"I can't really do much," Meg said, "I could be the distraction for those heads again."

"But how do we burn the wounds closed?" Stu wondered.

"I'll just use my arrows," Loki said, joining into the distraction, "I'm sure I've got one that should do the job."

"Great," Stu said, "Let's do this...does anyone have anything that could make me invisible?"

"You've got an indestructible shield, can't you just hide behind that if the thing decides to attack you?" Loki suggested, "I mean, what the use of a shield if you ain't gonna use it."

"He's got a point there," Meg said, "I've got glasses and use 'em, so I guess you could use your shield."

"Just go with that," Loki said, as he began rummaging through his pack, and had his short sword shift into its bow form and the sheathe into a quiver filled with arrows, "Are you guys going to go or are you waiting for me to find what I'll be needing?"

"If you're so ready to die, then why don't you have a go at avoiding death," Meg said, grabbed Loki, and pushed him out of the stall and into the line of fire of the hydra that locked all of its eyes on him, and tried to shred him to pieces.

It was probably a good thing that his quiver was already on his back, and the bow in his hands. He quickly dashed and dodged his way around the attacking heads, until he was close enough to the monster, and simply grabbed an arrow, not really knowing how or why he got the arrow he needed and wanted. He supposed that his weapon set was all about intent and thoughts, which was how it had happened. He knocked the arrow, pulled back, and let it fly. It was a wind charged arrow allowing it to somehow slice off one of the hydras heads. He followed up his initial attack with a kind of fire arrow, which seared the wound that had obviously appeared, closed.

He continued to do so, not really thinking of what he was doing, he simply focused on the task that lay before him, which was not to be swallowed up by the jaws of painful death that would have devoured him had he stopped to think of his actions. He simply moved as if guided by some otherworldly power. He didn't think, he simply acted. He had to survive, and if fighting was the only way to succeed in his present goal, then he would fight.

He took down six heads before he had to deal with the remaining one, it seemed to be smarter than the rest for some reason, watching and waiting like the serpent it resembled. It was like a cobra, a king cobra waiting for the perfect time to strike, for the moment that he would stop to rest. But Loki instinctively knew not to stop, that stopping meant death, and so he continued to move. His companions staring in amazement at his ability to move about and fire arrows in quick succession in a single continuous fluid motion.

"Are you guys going to help me out or what?" Loki shouted at his dumbstruck companions, as he continued to dance in front of the monster, "I know I'll tire eventually!"

"Coming!" Stu shouted and popped out his shield and charged, sword raised and ready to strike the slicing blow, while Meg simply hung back, knowing that she was kind of useless.

Loki stopped moving for but a moment, it was the moment that the hydra was waiting for and so struck with deadly accuracy, its mouth wide open ready to finally devour its foe. Just as it was about to relish the taste of victory, Stu struck, severing its neck from the rest of its body, followed by Loki sealing its fate, and the two of them watched as the hydra disintegrated into dust.

"How did you do that?" Meg asked as she walked up to them now that the danger was over, "Since we'll be facing a much larger, and potentially more dangerous serpent, do you think you'll be able to do it again?"

"I have doubts about my ability to perform at such a level anytime soon," Loki said, as he fixed up his stuff, and prepared to begin his descent into the dark abyss that was the hole from which the hydra had made its presence known from.

"So, what's the plan with the basilisk?" Meg asked, "Cause I really don't want to play bait for something that could kill me by simply looking at me."

"But we need your now heightened reflexes to deal with the following monster," Stu said, "Since Loki doesn't think that he would be able to move as he did anytime soon, you're our best choice considering the circumstances. Your new magical item will be of great help in the coming battle."

"All you need to do is not get killed," Loki said, "While Stu and myself try our best to decapitate it."

"You have got to be kidding me," Meg said, "I'm not that good at strenuous physical activity."

"You'll do fine," Loki said, "You've got that bodysuit of yours to help you."

"Leader first," Stu said as he pushed Loki into the hole, then jumped in after him. Meg had no other choice than to jump in after the two. Before Stu had pushed him, Loki had managed to swipe the head of the hydra, apparently they had managed to get THE Hydra, and not one of his descendants, those ones that pop out near fast food or doughnut chains.

The tunnel was like a ride at a water theme park, it was one big slide minus the water but with a side order of grime, and the slight smell of sewage. But it was cleaner than it should have been even after all the years of not being used. Hogwarts castle, grounds, the lake, and Hogsmeade village, had been around ever since the world was formed, which is strange in a way since Gaea is the world, while at the same time not.

When Loki reached the bottom, he simply rolled forward, or tumbled, as stopping and getting up might cost him his back's health since Stu could land on him without any warning. Stu did the same when he too reached the bottom of the dirty slide. Then the two boys realized that Meg wouldn't really know how to react to the bottom, she didn't have any instincts when it came to such things, she also said that she's useless when it came to physical activity.

Loki dished out a pillow, and threw it to where he guessed Meg would land, but he and Stu were surprised when Meg managed to kind of somersault out of the tube before hitting the ground. It was her suit working for her, prepping her for the time of her life, her confrontation with a serpent.

As they walked through the cavern that led to the chamber before the actual hiding place of the map, the trio passed by the shed skin of the massive serpent. It had been just as the memory, and the skin didn't seem to show any sign of decay, which was why Loki decided to pack it up into his bottomless bag of tricks. While it was a terrifying reminder of what they were to face, they were heroes, show no fear, until everything was through and all that nonsense. While nonsense it may be, they still did it, for at least that was in their training. Avoid showing weakness as it may cost one one's life.

So they passed it, Meg trembling slightly, but also giving herself an inner pep talk in preparation for becoming bait once again. Stu was scared for Meg, but at the same time trying to figure out how in the world were they going to decapitate something whose neck was even thicker than the hydra's. Loki simply decided to try and blind it first, then think about how to remove its head from the rest of its body. It was going to be a tricky task, but they had to do it, live or die, they had to at least try.

Unbeknownst to them, Aen, in raven form, was following them.

When they finally reached the gate into the chamber, it once again took Loki several tries to get the thing open with that hissing password he had stumbled upon and seemed to have memorized, while he did that Stu and Meg tried to distract themselves from the up and coming task by trying to make the other feel more confident since they didn't have something to actually distract their thoughts from like Loki did with his password unscrambling like thing that he was doing by the gate door that had stone carvings of serpents. It was as if they were visiting the gorgons instead of going up against a serpentine basilisk.

When the gate was finally open, Loki lead the group inside, he had to take the lead, it was his quest after all, Stu and Meg were just the back up, or the guys that could try and bring back his corpse should he fall. He walked up to the statue, the thing that could have been a bust, and for once spoke in a single fluid hiss, the unnerving language of the serpents. It was a do it right or die kind of password, it gave them some time to prepare, as the serpent within would have to wait for the door to open, for it to be released, but had Loki said something wrong, the serpent would have kept its advantage, its ambush potential as it had other ways to get out from where it stayed, coiled up for centuries protecting a single piece of parchment that had grown to the point that not only was the castle viewable, but so was the rest of the world, in real time.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works, like the anime Hellsing. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: AU.

"*"

"*"

**Torchlight**

"*"

"*"

_**chapter twelve**_

"_*"_

"_*"_

They had managed to survive the harrowing ordeal of facing off against a basilisk, sure Loki had managed to blind it, but it was left to Stu and Meg to actually kill it as he had accidentally or intentionally, fallen into the mouth of the statue, which served as the exit of the serpent, as it was closing itself, it was some sort of safety function or feature that the thing had.

Since he was already inside, he decided that he might as well search the place and see if he could find the map, he didn't really know what it looked like, if it was rolled up or folded, or what. There was a lot more of the shed skin inside the statue, so Loki decided to take that stuff as well, placing them all in his bag joining the first skin.

Searching through the even more secret chamber, as seen in the memory, a few moments later found himself standing before a pedestal with a rather thick folded up sheet of parchment, and behind it were two cabinets full of eggs with a hole at the bottom of each, which made them in a way resemble some of kind of soda can dispenser of sort. Once the egg rolled, or whatever it did, out it would land right underneath what looked like an animated stone toad, most likely hatching. There were also two cauldrons on the side containing some sweet smelling purplish liquid. How could he tell it was purplish, he had a small flashlight with him to guide him around the apparent lack of light. How in the world the chamber was well lit, he didn't really know, and didn't think anyone would answer should he ask.

He didn't know for sure what the liquid's purpose was, but going by the looks of the tubes that raced away from the cauldrons, he assumed that they were applied to the new born basilisks as some kind of nourishment or possibly as some kind of growth medication.

But the cabinets of eggs, the animated toad, and the cauldrons and their contents, weren't what he was after. His treasure was most likely to be the the sheet of folded up parchment on the pedestal, why else would it be on a pedestal if it weren't important after all. So he took the sheet into his hands and opened it up to reveal nothing. It was blank.

'_What in the world..it's blank.._' Loki couldn't help but think to himself, "A prank map..."

'Yes a prankster's map,' a messy scrawl scratched it way onto the parchment, 'Are you a prankster?'

"Yes," Loki replied, then spoke, "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."

'Very good young prankster,' the parchment wrote, 'Very good.'

Lines appeared all over the parchment, followed by some words, dots, and names, ranging from his and his friends names, to the basilisk, to the other monsters that apparently roamed the halls. Even the apparitions that attempted to either eject or harm them. Every statue, suit of armor, and painting were labeled. There was a legend that wrote itself out in one corner of the map, detailing what the different colored dots, and ink colors meant, as well as a hint for additional instructions for new users.

It was like Google Earth but in real time, updating with each passing moment. The map didn't only show the castle, but even well beyond that. It was thanks to the zoom functions that Loki managed to find that little tidbit out. Not only did it map out the countryside, but beyond that. To the point that he could view the world like a god on Mount Olympus. But of course, viewing the world he could see how the gods could overlook many things, it wasn't as detailed as when a specific place was magnified like when only the castle was viewable on the map.

Loki, from viewing the map, knew why there were so many gods, why it took so many to govern the world as they did. Why there was one for the sun and the moon, for the stars, for the earth and sky, for the rainbow, for death, for fate, for strife, and for many other things. He knew why there were so many of them. Why there were so many immortals. It was because if only one of them were to look at the world as he was, there was so many things that would be missed. But with many, many more things would be noticed, many more problems solved, but at the same time, many more other complications would still be left forgotten.

Why were there so many undetermined was explained by just looking at the map, but at the same time, he did not believe that it was a valid excuse, just a plausible and probable one. It was with this train of thought that he recalled his own predicament, his own personal mystery. He knew not who his father was, his mother was a given as she had taken care of him at the beginning, but something unfortunate had happened to her, which led to his living with the woman he called grandmother. It was a little bit ironic that the person that cared for him wasn't all that fond of mythology in general, but had the name Leto. She even said that when she was younger she had had twins, both of whom had not visited her in a number of years.

He folded up the map after reciting the words that deactivated the thing, then tried to open the chamber's portal that he may leave, but found that there was no hidden switch, and he doubted that the exit of the serpent would open up to him. He opened the map once again, it may be possible to find guidance from the map, which was to be their guide to finding that which was stolen from the gods.

"I'm stuck where I am, how do I leave?" he asked the map, thinking that he had caught Mr D's insanity after all these years.

'Hatch the remaining eggs, and name them as yours,' the map scrawled, 'That is the only way that one trapped within will be allowed to leave.'

"But there are dozens of them," Loki said, he was arguing with a map now.

'Hatch them all, grow them all, then order them to _ύπνου στον ονειρικό κόσμο της αθανασίας,_' the map read, 'They will then be yours to keep, to order, and to use.'

"I didn't understand that," Loki said, "At least I don't think I did."

'You understood it perfectly, how does a mere map know..well, I have been imbued not only with the personalities of the Marauders, but also of their legacy, therefore I know what I am writing about,' the map read, 'Just do it, start the chain reaction by stating your name and your right to claim the contents of the chamber as yours by right of discovery.'

Not wanting to further argue with a map, as well as question his sanity, Loki did as the map detailed as to how to start the hatching process, and well as finding all the other things in the chamber that he could bring with him. There were quite a number of daggers and throwing knives in the chamber, ones that would return to their user, to their owner, to their master.

It was only when he was done with all of the things he was instructed to do, that he was told how to get out. It was so simple, that he wanted to burn the map, only to remember that it was needed for his quest. All he had to do was speak the password that called the first basilisk out.

When the mouth opened up, he walked out to find Stu standing on top of the serpent's head, and had driven his sword through the serpent's head. His friend stood there in shock at what he had done, Meg was leaning against a pillar of the main chamber, unconscious. The really odd thing about the monster was that, while it had been defeated, it was not disintegrating into dust.

"Stu! Snap out of it!" Loki called out as he ran to Meg's side to see if she was alright.

"Huh...wha..." Stu said snapping out of his serpent killer stupor, and ambled off of the serpent's head, leaving his sword stuck in the thing, and ran to where his two companions were.

"She's unconscious," Loki said, "What happened?"

"The..thing managed to catch her unawares," Stu said, "After the statue swallowed you up, she stopped for a moment, and the thing's tail managed to catch her arm, which caught her off guard. Even though she managed to snap out of it, she had already hesitated and given the thing the advantage it was only a matter of time before the thing managed to land a solid hit. When it did, I just snapped...and well...its dead."

"Okay," Loki said, "Well, I got the map, and there's in our way back to the headmaster's office."

"Do you know why its not dusting?" Stu asked, as he looked at the monster, "Its a monster isn't it? I mean as a monster it should have dusted as soon as it had been killed. I know its dead. Isn't it?"

"Its dead," Loki said in confirmation, "Stupid map had explained about it...somewhat. It had me perform some old world stuff while in the secret chamber."

"So any explanation for the non dusting of the serpent?" Stu asked as they both stood, him with Meg in his arms.

"I think the place itself is so out of tune with the rest of the world that things move about differently here," Loki said, "Like everything in here is hiding a great secret."

"So a possible reason for the non-dusting is that if it did dust, some higher power related or working under Olympus would find out, and this secret and hidden location would be viewable and known to all of them and would no longer remain as a secret," Stu surmised, "So what do we do about the corpse?"

"I'll pack it up, and we can split the remains three ways later," Loki said, "Preferably when we're about to return to camp."

After packing up the serpent, Loki and company managed to make their way out of the secret passageways, into the restroom, into the corridor, and back to the headmaster's office where they bandaged their wounds, and over all took care of themselves. They didn't know how long Aen was going to wait for them, so they planned on returning to the village's inn as soon as possible.

Their only remaining problem for this leg of the journey was figuring out how to escape from the confines of the castle with all the potential things lurking within its halls. While his two companions slept, Loki remained awake and conversed with the map, while at the same time kept guard over their immediate surroundings. He had found that there were ways to change the settings of the thing, from being able to view every little thing, to just what was needed. The apparitions gathered around just outside the staircase leading up to the headmaster's office. They were setting up an ambush for the three heroes, and so Loki needed to plan. It was like escaping from would be pursuers due to a prank, he could do this. Even without the aid of Athena's son, he could do it. It was to be rather difficult sure, but if he treated it like a prank, he would managed to make it out alive, with his friends, and all that they had worked for as well.

"*"

"How are things on your end?" Nyx asked Aen, as he waited for the return of the three chosen heroes.

"They're nearly done with act one," Aen replied, "They just have to return to the Three Broomsticks, plan their next move, and we travel again."

"What a boring life you seem to live nowadays," Nyx said, "When are you planning on visiting one of theose two girls of yours?"

"I can't visit Thalia right now," Aen said, "She's going through a tough time right now."

"I know what you man," Nyx said, "What with the poisoning and all that. But that shouldn't stop you from visiting her and reassuring her that everything will be alright."

"Fine," he said, "I'll visit as soon as I am able," Aen said, "But my question to her should be reassurance enough that everything will be alright."

"Not to a girl," Nyx said, "I know you'll never fully understand, but you get my drift, don't you. Just go say hi, and tell her everything's gonna be alright."

"Fine, fine," he said, as he waited, "How long are they going to take in there...getting in and out isn't all that hard.."

"It is for mortals," Erebus butted into the conversation, "I couldn't help but join in, and remind you that while they may be children of the gods, they are still very much mortal."

"But they're taking so long..." Aen whined.

"Whining is unbecoming of you, little brother," Erebus said.

"So, Nyx," Aen said, "Got anything for when they leave?"

"They've faced off against The Hydra, a basilisk, those damn snakes, apparitions, paintings, suits of armor, a cerberus," she listed off, "There's still the dragon."

"What kind is it?" Erebus asked, his sister and wife.

"I think last I checked, it was a mix between a iron belly and a horntail," Nyx replied, "Nothing three heroes can't handle."

"Sister, let me remind you that they're very much mortal," Aen reminded.

"They'll survive," Moros interjected, "I have seen it."

"We shall see," Eris added as well.

"So many people in one conversation," Aen noted, "Have you all been there the whole time?"

"No," Eris said, "I just stumbled upon your conversation and decided to butt in."


End file.
